The Donor
by gorblimey2
Summary: A successful attorney receives a sperm bank in Baltimore as settlement for her fees and decides to have a child. First she has to pick the right donor and House, a former donor, is on her list to check out. Romance, humor, drama.
1. Chapter 1

**Dear Readers, I wrote this story in 2006 and posted it on the Fox Forum. One of my readers has asked me to post here because it's easier to read. I hope you enjoy it. Kim (Gorblimey2)**

© KBrogan 2010

The Donor

I have enjoyed my life so far. I graduated from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo with a degree in Dairy Science. Before you start laughing, I only had to take two more Chemistry classes and I would have had a Chemistry degree, one more class in Biology and I would have had a Biology degree or two more classes in Microbiology and I would have had a Microbiology degree...so laugh now, but remember Dairy Science requires an extensive background in Chemistry, Biology and Microbiology. So, you ask, what did I do with a Dairy Science Degree? After working five years in the dairy industry I went to law school.

Ok, how does anyone get from Dairy Science to law school? Well, when I=m asked I just say that Dairy Science taught me how to, Amilk my clients...ha,ha. Actually, I have never been able to make up my mind as to whether I am a science geek or a liberal arts fan.

I graduated in the top five percent of my law school and went on to become a civil trial lawyer representing homeowners who purchased crappy houses from unscrupulous builders (a group of which California has an abundance) and doctors who made dumb mistakes. After 10 years of being a lawyer I had two back to back cases that paid off in spades. One case was a large construction defect case in which the developer built a tract of homes with leaking roofs, windows and showers. To add insult to injury, mold had developed in the walls and some of the homeowners were sick. When it was all over, I settled the case for $5.1 million. I received a third of that or $1.683 Million.

Then I brought suit on behalf of ten California couples who had gone through a sperm bank in California whose parent company was in Baltimore. We were able to prove that the sperm they were given did not match the profiles from which the couples chose the sperm. How did we know this? My clients were two Nordic descendants who chose a profile of a blonde, blue eyed, white male for their sperm donor. A child would then have some resemblance to them. Their child was born with African-American characteristics. Luckily for the child, the couple adored their baby. But still, we were able to sue the company and obtained a verdict for this couple and nine other couples in the amount of $12.0 million dollars. I was supposed to receive $4.0 million. However, the insurance company only insured the company up to $10.0 million. I agreed to receive the assets of the sperm bank as part of my compensation. In other words, when it was all done, I owned a sperm bank in California and one in Baltimore.

I sold off all the assets of the California branch including the sperm. It was the California branch that had all the problems with keeping their records straight. As soon as I had liquidated the California branch I flew back to Baltimore to check out my new sperm bank and to see what I wanted to do with it.

I now had $4.1 million dollars and a sperm bank to my name. I was ecstatic, I didn=t have to work anymore. I closed my practice, invested the bulk of my money and made some life-altering decisions.

I knew right away what I wanted to do; I wanted to have a child. I had dated a lot of men, but none of the relationships stuck because I was married to my cases and at the mercy of trial dates. Night after night of my working until the wee mornings would finally break the camel=s back and they would take off and never come back. I guess that was the luck of the draw, I was a fairly famous attorney but I had no one to come home to at the end of the day and I wasn't getting any younger. I was 38 and I wanted a child.

It was a marriage made in heaven, I owned a sperm bank and I wanted to get pregnant. I also had inside knowledge. As part of the lawsuit I had the files on each and every donor. I decided to do my homework and so I sat down to do an in-depth analysis of the available sperm that was cryogenically frozen and sitting innocently in the clean room.

I asked myself what I wanted and realized that I wanted a child that wouldn=t have too many siblings running around out there. So out of the sperm that was left, I eliminated the really popular donors.- the guys who claimed on their application that their families had no genetic diseases, that they were top in their class, studying physics, musical prodigies and incredibly athletic. These popular donors were, in my mind, too good to be true, but they had been chosen frequently meaning there were a lot of their progeny out there. These were the ones that had been selected ten or more times by couples. That left me with two dozen donors. Then I decided that I wanted blue eyes so that the child would look more like me. That eliminated another 15 possible father, leaving me with nine potential donors.

In the 1980's the intake forms for the potential donors were very interesting. The donors were given two forms to fill out. One was a standard medical history; the second was a background history. Most of the sperm donors gave glowing reports or themselves, describing themselves as tall, athletic, intelligent, etc. I felt like I was reading a Playboy Centerfold Interview. AI like walks in the park and men with soulful eyes.

I found that two out of the nine potential donors had not been chosen by anyone. One poor soul was 5'4" which, if your husband was short, you might want to choose someone who was short too. But I didn=t have to worry about trying to match my child to a husband, so I was free to build a better human race without worry.

That=s when the second one attracted my attention. The medical history started out with a typical question, "Sex?" And this individual had put down, AAs much as possible. I chuckled. When he responded to questions about his family medical history, he had put down that there was substantial mental illness in the family, diabetes, coronary heart disease and breast cancer. What struck me as odd about this is that it was not a glowing report like all the others. This was the form of someone who wanted the money for his sperm but didn=t want any of his sperm impregnating anyone. This was one smart guy.

I looked at the rest of his history and it didn=t ring true. He said that he was going to work with monkeys when he got out of school; that where he worked now was a circus. If you took what he said as a metaphor, then this guy was pretty funny. I decided that he would be a keeper. He had five vials of sperm frozen in 1987 in Baltimore.

I had narrowed it down to two donors. I now had to cross-check them with the payment files to come up with names since the vials themselves were identified only my a serial number. I discovered that Jeremy Edwards was paid $300 for three vials of sperm in 1995. and Gregory House was paid $500 for five vials of sperm in 1987-1988. Gregory House=s address was close to Johns Hopkins. _Did he work at Johns Hopkins? Not likely, how many men sell their sperm if they are gainfully employed. No, students were more likely to sell their sperm. Gregory House was probably a med-student or a low-paid intern at Johns Hopkins._ I looked at the form, Gregory was 28 when he sold his sperm and that would make him 50 now. I suspected that Gregory House was probably married with two children by a trophy doctor's wife and living the high life. It would be interesting to see what his children looked like.

After narrowing my choices, I did what I always do, I went out and hunted down the information that I needed to make a decision. I needed to investigate Jeremy Edwards and Greg House. I needed to know which would make the best donor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I considered the decision of who would be my child=s father to be one of the most important ones of my life. I took it seriously and so I attacked it like I would prepare for trial. I had to do discovery, find out all the information I could on the prospective candidates.

My first job was to find the donors, Edwards and House. When I Googled Jeremy Edwards I came up with dozens of possible men, so I had review his file for anything that would narrow it down. I knew he would be about 36 now and that he was living in Baltimore when he donated the sperm. His application indicated that he was a student at the local community college taking Administration of Justice. This meant that Jeremy was probably a cop somewhere on the east coast. I started with the police in Baltimore, then the Sheriffs, then the State Police, the Highway Patrol...the list went on and on. I finally found a listing for a Philadelphia cop names Jeremy Edwards. When I Googled him, several articles came up stating that he had won an award for rescuing a young girl from the line of fire between two warring gang members. This sounded promising. A hero, that was nice.

I took off for Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. I don=t know why I love Philadelphia so much, but I do. I love the Franklin Institute of Science and Technology, Elfreth's Alley, Independence Hall and Wanamaker=s (now Macy's) Pipe organ. I enjoy the history in Philadelphia and always felt at home in the city.

I found out that Jeremy (in my mind I was on a first name basis with both potential donors) had been transferred to another precinct and after arriving at the precinct I asked a cop coming out the door.

"Hi, can you help me? I went to school with Jeremy Edwards and was trying to find him. Is he working here today?"

"Sorry Miss, Jeremy's in the hospital at the University of Pennsylvania."

"Oh no, what's wrong with him?"

"Well you know he loves those cheese steaks and that weight around his heart really caught up to him. He had to have bypass surgery."

"_He's 34 and he had to have bypass surgery?_" I was obviously shocked.

"Sure did. But then his Dad died when he was 49 of Coronary Heart Disease."

My mind was going in circles. If you looked at the paperwork, Jeremy looked great. Of course back then he was 5'11" and 178 lbs., not thin but not fat. And his father would have still been alive when he filled out the form. This did not bode well. It meant that I really needed to dig deep if I was going to find the perfect father. Jeremy was not the genetic material I was hoping for.

I checked into a hotel and plugged in my laptop so I could Google Gregory House. You would have thought I had Googled Elvis, hundreds of entries popped up. I discovered that my Gregory House had become a doctor and so I eliminated all Gregory House hits that were for someone other than a doctor.

I started to sift through the medical articles he had co-authored, authored or had signed off on and started reading other entries as well. I realized that Gregory House was considered brilliant (promising), gifted (great) and a jerk (uhh?). Over and over I read medical forums that Greg House was a God among doctors but an ass as a human being.

This didn't dissuade me. Being a jerk can be part genetics, but more likely a lot to do with how you're raised. So in my book, this wasn't a deal breaker. I'd have to see him in person to determine whether being a jerk was in his gene pool.

I followed the links and pieced together his career. The gossip was that he had been fired from more than one position for both insubordination and unethical actions. But for the last ten years he had managed to hold down a job as head of diagnostics at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Princeton was only an hour away from Philadelphia so I backed a bag and jumped in my car, heading east.

It was the middle of July and hot as hell all over the east coast. I didn't mind the humidity that much, but I hated the heat. When I arrived at the hospital I decided to take this slow. I looked on the directory and found out that Gregory House's office was on the fourth floor. I walked around until I saw his name on the glass doors to a rather large office attached to another conference room. No one was in the office. I didn't go in but I did peer through the glass.

"It's an office..." A male's voice yelled in my ear from behind.

"Aaahhhhhhhhh." I screamed. Turning around, I was staring at a tall, thin man with these fiercely blue eyes staring me down. He had crows' feet and a stubble that looked a couple days old. I'm not easy to intimidate but this man took me off guard.

"What do you want?" He asked, more like an accusation than a question.

"Human resources? I'm looking for human resources."

"No you're not." He stared at me sideways.

Now I was pissed, he might be right but he was being rude. "Excuse me but I am looking for human resources." And I turned around and walked off. I hid behind the corner, and looked around to see if he went into the office. As I cautiously leaned forward and peeked around the corner he was standing within arm's reach.

"Ahhh! What is your problem?" I asked.

"Why are you skulking around here? Who are you?" His body was crowding me in an intimidating manner.

"I need to find human resources and you're freaking me out, who are you and why are _you_ following me?"

"I asked first."

"Yes, but you're the stalker..." I told him.

He grabbed my purse and started to open it. I kneed him in his balls. He dropped my purse and fell to the floor.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked.

People were walking by without stopping, almost as if this man writhing on the floor was a normal occurrence. Strangely, no one came to his rescue or even gave us a second glance. I grabbed my purse and took off running as fast as I could downstairs to the free clinic where I took a seat. I was winded and shocked. _What was that all about? Was that Gregory House? He had blue eyes and he was about the same height._ If it was, then I was interested. He was handsome and had an intelligent look about him, but I was worried about his cane. Why did he limp and have a cane? Was it genetic or an accident? I smiled, I loved a challenge and if that was Gregory House, he might be a challenge. I needed to get close to the subject.

I went to Human Resources and went through the job postings. There was one for office janitor, part time, day. The description said that it was twenty hours a week cleaning the offices, no patient or surgical cleaning duties. I asked about the job and was told that it paid $8.00 an hour and I would be the daytime janitor for the second floor offices and adjacent bathrooms. I filled out the application, lying about my education and work history. When asked why I had a big gap in my work history I claimed that my ex-husband didn't want me to work and now that we were divorced I needed a job.

"Why aren't the offices cleaned at night?" I asked.

"Oh they are, but many of them get used twenty-four hours a day or need additional cleaning. Don't worry, you'll be busy if you take the job."

"I'd like the job, if you're offering it to me."

"You seem qualified..." The interviewer laughed at the idea of someone being qualified to sweep and clean toilets.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I was to start training to be a janitor the next day. I was given a uniform that consisted of blue chinos and a lighter blue shirt with Velcro for a name tag on my shirt pocket. After leaving the hospital, I decided I better go and find someplace to stay. Obviously, a person making $8 an hour couldn't rent a large house, so I went to Princeton's student hall and looked on the board for housing. There was a guest house for rent about ten blocks from the hospital. It was $760 a month and that included utilities. It was a little pricey for the average starving student but not for me. I called the landlady and asked if I could make an appointment to see it. We arranged for me to see the place in the morning. In the meantime, I went and checked into a hotel for the night. The next morning I saw the guesthouse, a one story cottage with a 12 x 13 bedroom, a small bath and a cozy, but adequate dining/living room. There was also a fairly large loft that I could use as an office. I filled out the application and took it on a month to month basis.

Giselda Munoz was my supervisor at PPTH. Giselda was shorter than me and several dress sizes larger. She looked at me like I was Paris Hilton trying to learn how to farm. Little did she know, but I was pretty scrappy, having grown up on the wrong side of the tracks. I made my way through college by working me and with the help of my parents who were not well off but had collected government savings bonds to put me through school. I managed to get some scholarships and campus jobs to defray the costs. I knew my way around menial jobs.

AYou will be cleaning the fourth floor bathrooms today. I'll show you how.

"Mrs. Munoz, who cleans Dr. House's office? I asked nonchalantly.

She looked at me like I had just said a curse word. She shrugged. "Whoever draws the short straw. We take turns cleaning his office; you don't want to go in there, he's difficult. I will clean that office today.

Putting my hands in my pockets, I said, "I'll take his office. I can handle him."

"Why would you want to?"

"Because he doesn't intimidate me. I can handle him."

She shook her head. "You don't know what you're saying."

"Well, if it gets too much, I'll let you know."

Mrs. Munoz gave me the once over to size me up. Narrowing her eyes she warned me, "We lost the last three cleaners because of him and his attitude. He has a horrible mouth and attitude.

"Don't worry, I'm ready for him.

Letting out a deep sigh she nodded her approval of my plan and then showed me how to clean the bathrooms and change out the toilet paper and paper towels. It all seemed pretty perfunctory. After it was done we went into Dr. James Wilson's office and she showed me what they did in each room, depending on the furniture and occupant's desires. Windows were cleaned, desks and computers were dusted and cleaned, trash was taken out and the carpets were vacuumed. We were not to touch any papers or throw away anything unless we knew it was trash, i.e. balled up papers, fast food wrappers, etc.

Dr. Wilson's office was fairly clean. I washed the windows and the computer screen and keyboard. Dusting and straightening came next as I took in the décor consisting of movie sheets on the walls and lots of odd knick knacks. They were obviously gifts from his patients because many of them had cards or writing on them. As I was getting the trash out from under his desk a fortyish man in a lab coat walked in and smiled.

"Oh, hello." He said, slightly surprised to find someone in his office.

"Hello, Dr. Wilson?"

He nodded and held out his hand to shake.

Taking his masculine hand in mine, I shook it as I took in this very handsome man. His eyes were very, very brown, almost a liquid brown the same color as his hair. He had a kind voice and he smiled to reassure me that he was sociable.

"I'll come back later. He said, turning to leave."

"Oh, you don't have to, I'm done in here."

"You're new aren't you?" He asked.

"Yes, I am. My name is Morrigan Palmer, I guess I'll be cleaning the offices and bathrooms in this area if there's anything you need or want done."

"Morrigan, that's an unusual name. Is it a family name?"

"It's the Irish Goddess of War."

"Wow, that's interesting. So you'll be cleaning the offices? Does that mean you'll be cleaning Dr. House's?"

"Yes. Why?"

"He's...he's not easy to deal with. I know the last cleaner ran out of his office in tears."

"Really? Why?"

"Why? My God that would take all day to tell you. He's complicated."

"If he's so difficult, why is he here?"

"He=s the best at what he does."

"What does he do?"

"When no one can figure out what's wrong with you, he can. He saves lives. When you watch him do it, you feel stupid next to him. He can put together the puzzle better than anyone else."

"Sounds intelligent."

"He is…very."

"Well, I better get going, his office is next. Thank you Dr. Wilson for the advice."

"Be patient with him, he's not that bad once you get to know him. If you ever need someone to run interference, let me know."

I steeled myself for the next office which had both an office and a conference room attached. First I went into the conference room where there was a white board, a small kitchenette with a refrigerator. I bent down and started to clean out the refrigerator, taking out the diet sodas, moldy sandwich and condiments. I was engrossed in cleaning out the little freezer section when I saw the Nike clad foot and cane on the ground next to me. I looked up.

"Do I need to wear a cup around you?" he asked.

"Do I need to keep my purse in my locker?"

"You have a locker? He asked."

"I have a locker and if you go near that locker I'll go near your balls."

"If you go near my balls it better be with your tongue."

"Dream on."

"What are you doing in my refrigerator?"

"Getting a beer. I stared at him."

"There's beer in there?"

"Not anymore. I drank the last one."

"You think you're funny." He smiled.

"I know I am. You just don't have a sense of humor."

"Am I going to need a sense of humor around you?" He asked.

"Probably."

He walked to his office while I cleaned the windows and the white board.

I was soon ready to tackle his office. He was sitting at the computer playing a video game in a t-shirt and jeans. A rumpled shirt was draped over the back of his Aeron chair. He was definitely showing his age. The creases in his forehead and around his eyes told me he was in his early fifties.

I leaned against the aluminum jamb of the glass door leading from the conference room into Dr. House's office. "So you are the great Doctor House?

He turned around in his chair and looked at me, "Yeah." He paused. "And you are?"

"Morrigan Palmer, your friendly cleaner. Dr. House, where would you like for me to start?"

"Somewhere else. Just get out of here; I need to think."

"Ok, I'll come back and do your office at the end of my shift."

It felt as if his eyes were on me as I left his office, but I didn't turn around to let him know how curious I was. He had no ring on his left hand, no photos on his desk and all of the personal belongings in the room screamed overgrown kid yet he seemed bitter and mean. I was intrigued. Why was this intelligent man alone and so unhappy?

I came back later in the day and he was gone. Under the guise of cleaning, I started to snoop at the same time. He had lots of novels, both prurient and classical inside his credenza, so I assumed that he was a reader. On the side of the desk were computer games which meant that he was bored easily and needed a distraction. He had a fuzzy rubber ball on his desk, juggling balls inside the desk drawer, a small, old fashioned television in the office and a harmonica buried in the bottom drawer. It seemed to me that he was a brilliant teenager in a middle aged body.

I wanted to know where he lived so I looked around for something with his address on it. I was thumbing through mail, most addressed to the hospital when I looked up into the eyes of a young woman in a lab coat staring at me. I quickly slid my ring into my pocket.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm trying to find my ring, it fell off while I was cleaning. I pretended to look for it. I got down on my knees and then came up with my ring in my hand. "I found it." My ruse worked, she visibly relaxed. I looked at her coat and it said, Dr. R. Hadley. "Dr. Hadley, can I ask you something?"

She gave me a strange look as if she wasn't expecting me to talk. "I guess."

"Has Dr. House ever been married?"

"Why do you ask?"

"He seems sad, almost bitter...like a guy who's been through a bad divorce."

"No, no marriage, no divorce. He did live with someone for awhile, but they were never married."

"Well, he still seems bitter." I remarked.

"That's just House." She said.

Dr. Hadley was a beautiful, young woman, no more than late twenties. Surprisingly, despite her initial confrontation, her voice was kind and matter of fact.

I left the office and vowed that tomorrow I would find something with his home address on it. At home in my little guest house, I made myself a chicken salad for dinner. God it was hot...thank God for air conditioners. I sat down in front of the a/c and put my feet up on a stool with a diet coke. I had to admit, I was having fun.

The next day, I started asking around, I started with the nurses.

As I swept up the nurses' lounge, I found a group of nurses kicking back in their scrubs talking about the recent pay raises. I stopped and looked at one of them. "I'm new here and I was just wondering, why do you guys hate Dr. House?"

"Do you have a day?" She groaned, giving the other nurses a knowing look.

"Go ahead."

Another nurse, one that was more outspoken began a litany of grievances. "He's arrogant, he makes fun of just about everyone, he hates everyone, he's rude. Last week he yelled at me, kick me out of a patient's room while I was taking vitals, grabbed medications out of my hand and blamed me when the patient began to tank because he wouldn't let me in to give the guy his meds."

"He always makes a nuisance of himself. He's late for clinic and when he does come he usually sees half the patients the other doctors see because he's watching General Hospital." A male nurse said from behind me.

"Ok, I'm beginning to understand. Now can you tell me why they keep him?"

The first nurse I had addressed, the older one in the group answered, "The Asshole is brilliant. He saves people that everyone else gives up on."

"I see; what about his love life?"

I discovered that Dr. House had a colorful love life. He had lived with a woman for awhile but she had left him after the operation on his leg that left him with only partial use of it. Now he occasionally dated nurses and, surprisingly, he hired hookers.

I didn't understand the hookers. Handsome and masculine, House could score easily if he turned on the charm at a bar. Why did he hire a hooker unless his sexual preferences included something perverted? Now I was even more curious. I wanted to find these hookers and ask them.

**Dear Readers...the format of this old story is giving me heartburn...it's dropped the quotes from the end of the dialogue and substituted the front quotes with an 'A' and apostrophes with an =. I've tried to clean it up, but can't guarantee. Sorry. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I had a lot of time off during the day since I only worked four hours a day five days a week. I was really enjoying my days at the hospital. The work was simple and I didn't have to listen to clients moan or other attorneys harangue me. I enjoyed the hospital gossip and the camaraderie of the other cleaners and the nursing staff. It was as if it was all of us against the doctors. I couldn't see me doing this for a long time, but it was fun for now.

During my time off, I started spending time around Princeton University and the little book stores and cafes surrounding the campus. I was sitting in one of the bookstores that had a coffee shop inside reading one of the three books I had just bought when I noticed a shadow cross my book and stay there. I looked up and saw a curious Dr. House drinking a soda through a straw looking down at me. Without a hello or permission, he sat down at my table and then read the title of my book.

"His eyes narrowed. ASeutonius? You read Seutonius?"

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"Not normally, but janitors making minimum wage usually don't read Seutonius."

"Do you think we're all just dumb idiots?"

"In general, yes, or you would have degrees and a better paying job."

"Obviously this book is a shill...underneath the cover is really _Valley of the Dolls_.

He ignored my attempt at humor. "Why Seutonius?"

"Because I've already read Teutonius and Julius Caesar's _Campaign on Gaul_."

He grabbed my bag from me and pulled out the other two books. One was the _Daily Guide to the Kama Sutra_ and the other was _A Guide to Invitro Fertilization_. I blushed. I could see in his face that he was trying to figure me out and the puzzle wasn't fitting together.

"You work as a cleaner for minimum wage. You wear Coach sneakers and carry a Coach handbag in your free time. You read Seutonius. You're interested in the Kama Sutra, which by the way, has also peaked my interest in you. And you are researching Invitro Fertilization. Where are you from?"

"California."

"That may explain the Kama Sutra, but how can you afford Coach?"

"I bought it in Tijuana before I came here, it's genuine fake Mexican Coach products."

He smiled. "Ok, perhaps, but phony Coach usually has a space between the C's. and yours don't."

"They're getting better at faking it."

"Maybe, now explain Seutonius ."

"My boyfriend is a history buff and I'm just trying to read so that we have something in common. He was no match for a trial lawyer. We were born thinking on our feet."

"Invitro Fertilization?"

"I'm thinking of trying to get a job in one of the sperm banks and I just wanted to know what they do. I heard there were several sperm banks in this area because of the gene pool at Princeton University."

"You have an answer for everything."

_That's my job, idiot. I'm an attorney. Still, you're not doing bad. "_Now you answer some questions. How did you lose the use of your leg?"

He flinched and then smiled. "That's going for the jugular."

"Why, is it something embarrassing?" I baited him.

"No, I suffered an infarction in my leg."

"And they didn't catch it in time so you experienced muscle death, right?"

"Now I know you're not what you say you are. How do you know that?" He asked.

"My friend had the same thing happen but he lost his leg." Actually it was a client and we sued the doctors for malpractice.

"I almost did too. Now my turn. Why were you snooping around on the day you kicked me in the groin?"

"Sorry about that but you should never take a woman's purse without her permission. I had heard about you before and so when I saw your name on the door I wanted to see what you looked like."

"Where did you hear about me?"

"Some of the nurses talk about you at the local bars. You're not well liked."

"Not trying to be."

"Obviously. Were you always cranky or did someone put something in your Malt o'Meal while you were growing up?"

"None of your business. You're boring me, this conversation is over." He got up and took off out the door.

I smiled to myself. _Now that was interesting._ He was interesting. It was time to find a concierge.

I had purchased a bicycle and biked over to the Westin Princeton and went inside. I found the concierge. He was a young guy with quick smile and polite attitude; they had trained him well.

"Hi. I have a very unusual request but I am willing to pay for the information."

I liked the fact that he was young, he wouldn't be as surprised by the question I was about to ask as an older guy would be.

"I hope I can help you."

"I need to know about the local prostitutes. Who would you use if you were say, faculty at Princeton or a Doctor at a local hospital?"

"Maam, I don't have that kind of information." He tried to sound convincing but his eyes were fluttering, a sure sign of lying.

"Now, I understand how sensitive this is. I am not a cop; I am doing research on prostitution for my sociology major at Princeton. I've talked to the streetwalkers but now I want to talk to the upper class call girls. I just happen to have two Benjamins in my wallet if you can help me." I reached in my purse and pulled them out.

He looked around and motioned for me to put the money away. "Look, I get off at 5:00 p.m., can you meet me at Starbucks next door?"

"Sure. See you then."

I came back and there he was without his tie and looking a little more relaxed. He had some kind of mocha malata mooka drink. I just got a bottle of water.

"Hi. Do you have that information?"

"There are two "services" in town that provide girls to the local faculty and better paying clients. One is run by this pimp named Dean who works out of Les Girls strip club on Nassau. The other is more likely the service used by faculty because they specialize in smart, pretty, young women. It's a service run out of a salon downtown called Maxie's. Maxie is the madam. I've written down the numbers on this paper. These are the two premier services in town. They cost $1200 $3500 a night depending on the customer's expectations, if you know what I mean."

"Yes, I do." I grabbed my wallet. "Great, here's your money. I appreciate the information and I promise that I won't use it in any way that could get you in trouble.

"Thanks, well I've got to run." He stood up, grabbed his backpack and took the money.

"Bye."

I've always found that people are much more likely to talk to you if you are face to face rather than over the phone. I biked home and then got into my car, a used CRX, and drove down to Les Girls. Inside was your typical topless bar with a lot of pole dancers and the afternoon salesmen sitting on stools at the bar with a beer in their hand. I had to admire the girls, they could really work their hips, I'd have to keep in mind some of their moves. I went up to the bartender and waited while he served a customer.

"Can I get'cha somethin"?" He asked.

"Yes, a margarita please."

When he came back with the margarita I asked, "Is Dean in?"

He looked me up and down, measuring my attributes. It was obvious that he thought I was applying for a 'position'. "You're beautiful, but Dean likes younger ones; they're easier to control."

"That's comforting, but I just want to talk to him about a problem I have."

"You a cop?"

"Nope, not a cop. I'm a janitor at the hospital." I pulled out my staff badge and showed him.

Hesitating, I thought I could see his mind working overtime trying to figure out what to do. "Ok, I'll let him know you're here."

A man eventually showed up. He wasn't what I expected a pimp to look like. You would have expected him to be an accountant or IRS man. Balding, in a pin striped suit, he wore thick black glasses and smiled at me with pudgy lips.

"What do you want?" He motioned me over to a table.

"I need information on someone, a possible client of yours. I know that Doctor Greg House at Princeton Plainsboro uses a service in town and I'd like to talk to the girls that service him. I'll pay their normal fee."

"Dr. House? He used to use my service six, seven years ago, but he doesn't anymore. He started going to Maxie's."

"Do you know why?"

"Not sure. Probably likes college girls and she specializes in that. Sorry I can't help."

I nodded a thank you and started to leave.

"Hey, you ever want to make some real money come see me. Some of my customers like older girls and you're pretty hot for…you know."

I laughed. "Being an old cow?"

"Hey, you're no cow; but if you were, I'd buy the milk."

I smiled and gave him a wink.

It was a really hot day and I hated that short run from the building to the car when the sun beats down on you. I drove into town to the salon and met with Maxie, offering her the same deal but she wasn't biting. "I don't talk about my clients."

"Look." I took out my hospital badge, "I'm just a custodian, but he's dating my sister and I want to make sure he's not a pervert. I don't care that he uses hookers unless he uses them because he's got some perversion or fetish. If you tell me he likes his sex straight or somewhat straight...then I'm out of here."

"Your sister?"

"Yeah, she's 26 and really gullible."

She narrowed her eyes and deliberated whether to say something. "Well, he does like his girls young, but none of them have ever come back and said he was abusive or weird. He's pretty straight." She motioned towards the door. "Now get out of here.

I thanked her and left, checking one more thing off my list. It did bother me that he liked them young. Why did men get off on that? I never understood it. It was like the Muslim who blew up kids to get his 72 virgins. Wouldn't you want 72 call girls? At least have someone who knew their way around and could show you a good time. When I was a virgin I was pretty pathetic when it came to sex--a guy was lucky to get a hand job from me.

So now I was left with a dilemma. He liked his sex straight, so why hookers? The easy answer was that they didn=t require any emotional connection. If that were the case then the good doctor was more emotionally damaged than I thought. If he didn't even want an emotional connection for one night, that said a lot. Who did this to him? I needed to meet the woman who left him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I went to work on Monday. The east coast was sweltering and there were brown outs all over the state, including one in my little apartment. The service went down without notice for hours. Of course the hospital had backup generators that kicked in when the power went out so it didn't effect us.

The night of the longest brownout, I was cleaning Dr. Wilson's office, concentrating on getting up something that he had spilled on the floor. I was somewhat surprised when he walked into the office because usually he did rounds this time of day.

"Morrigan, do you want me to leave?"

"I'm done with your desk Dr. Wilson, I'm just finishing up the floor and then I have the windows and door."

"Did you have a good weekend?"

"Yes, I did. I went to the Kurosawa film festival. I love his work."

His head tilted, slightly bewildered. "You like Kurosawa?"

"You're surprised?"

"Uh, yes, I am."

"You and Doctor House; you just naturally assume people who clean are dunces don't you?"

"No, I just don't expect them to like Kurosawa. Most Americans don't know his work, let alone have the patience to sit through them."

"Especially most janitors?"

He blushed and looked down at his feet. "Well, I meant--"

The door to the balcony opened and in walked House, his eyes intense.

Drilling me with his eyes, he dismissed me like a dog, "Get out of here."

"Excuse me, but you could try asking politely."

"_Get out!_. He yelled fully expecting to be obeyed."

I stayed calm, "No. Not unless you ask politely or Dr. Wilson asks me to leave." I started washing another window.

He grabbed my bucket, took it out on the balcony and dumped it over the side, then handed it back and growled, "Now get out."

"Bite me." I hissed.

Dr. Wilson stepped forward. "Morrigan, it's ok. If you can give us a moment? Why don't you go clean his office while he's in here? Please?"

"Yes, Dr. Wilson."

I smiled to myself as I went down the hall. I knew House's type; the fact that I stood up to him would prick his curiosity. The next ten minutes were spent reviewing what had just happened and cleaning his office. Five minutes later, House came back into the office through the balcony door. He gave me a somber look and sat down, took out a chart and started writing. I continued to clean.

"Have you tried any new positions?"

I stopped dusting. "You mean the Kama Sutra? Nah, after I got the book home and realized that there wasn't anything new in it. Just the same old positions I'm used to."

He actually chuckled and I did too.

"I'm going to go fill my bucket again and clean the windows or will you be throwing the solution over the side again?"

"I'll try to contain myself."

I came back with the soapy solution, grabbed a ladder and started on the windows. In the window's reflection, I caught him staring at my ass. "Dr. House, I'll have to charge you if you keep looking."

"You must be an ice cream junky; it always goes to the butt."

"Yeah baby, my men like that chunky monkey." I wiggled my butt and he laughed again.

I received a call on my phone from my girlfriend. "Mind if I take this Dr. House?"

I knew he would allow me to take it because he'd want to hear the conversation.

Despite frowning, he nodded for me to take it.

"Hello?...No...I called him and told him that our time together had turned me into a lesbian. Yeah, I told him it was you...Princeton, New Jersey...don=t know. Have to go. Call me later. Bye."

"You've dumped the history buff?"

"Yep. I've got room on my dance card, do you want a slot? I can fit you in for the waltz."

"Not much of a dancer." He pointed to his leg. "That is, vertical dancing."

A woman with dark hair came into his office, I was over by the balcony door and she didn't see me at first. "House, now you've done it. They're holding an administrative hearing about Justin Roberts. If you have any ideas about how you can keep your job, I'd like to know them now."

House nodded towards me at behind the freestanding bookshelf cleaning the window.

She was clearly taken aback. "Oh.. Excuse me, uh...?"

I realized she was talking to me. "Morrigan."

"Morrigan. Can you give us a moment alone?"

"Sure. I grabbed my bucket and ladder and left. I turned around to see her yelling and waving her hands at House. Curiosity piqued, I needed to find out what was going on and the best place to do that was the nurses' lounge."

Entering the carpeted area, there was a small kitchen, sofa, television and several round tables for eating. I found four nurses, two of which I had previously talked to about their kids and job, so they were more likely to talk to me. "Excuse me, but I have some things left behind by Justin Roberts, anyone know how I can get them back to him?"

"I don't think they'll want you to have any contact with him. He's the news anchor who's suing Dr. House and the Hospital for slander. Dr. House told the press that he had syphilis when he actually had a form of psoriasis."

Meghan, the red headed nurse with three kids sitting at one of the tables, leaned forward on her elbows. "House is an ass, but Justin Roberts is worse. He was a pig the whole time he was here. He tried to fondle and grope just about every nurse that went in his room. He had Kerry so upset from pawing her that she was sobbing."

"Oh, I guess I'll just take the stuff to lost and found then. Thanks." I said.

Contrary to all the jokes and comments, most Plaintiff attorneys have a strong sense of right and wrong and hate when the balance between good and evil gets out of whack. Case in point-- House was a jerk and deserved a slap on the wrist, but unless there was a miracle, no one would ever know that Justin Roberts was a pig and deserved what he got. This didn't sit well with me and I stewed on it all day long. Justin Roberts must pay.

That afternoon after work. I found out that Justin Roberts worked for WWOR but he was down in Texas for the hurricane. He was probably coming back tomorrow or the next day, depending on how big a story it was. Justin Roberts would have to wait.

On Tuesday afternoon I decided to go shopping at Princeton Center after I was done with work. It was 4:30 p.m. and all the equipment and chemicals were put away. I changed clothes and made my way over to the shopping center, parking next to J.C. Penny. After shopping for a good half hour, I was approaching Auntie Em's Pretzels when I saw Greg House take the escalator up to the second floor, look at a directory and then take another flight of the escalator up to the third floor. I followed at a discreet distance, making sure that I stayed out of his view. He went into the AT&T cellular phone shop and was gone about twenty minutes. When he emerged he had no bag. Being nearer to the elevator than to the escalator, he hit the button to call the elevator. I ran up and then screeched to a walking pace when I got in view as I walked up to him.

"Going down?" He asked with a cheeky smile.

"That's a loaded question isn't it?"

"What are you doing here?" He asked me as we entered the elevator.

"I needed new underwear." I held up a bag.

He narrowed his eyes at me again. "You see...that's just what I mean, what is a janitor doing with underwear from Perla?"

"It was on sale!" But he was right; the underwear still cost an arm and a leg even on sale. Still, I had a pension for Perla, it felt like heaven next to my skin and lasted forever because it was so well made.

I was about to protest some more when the elevator came to an abrupt stop. "Christ. Not another brown out."

"They'll get us out won't they? " I asked, my voice cracking from my anxiety.

"Probably, I suspect that they have backup generators for the elevators."

We stood around for about five minutes with a single emergency light shining in the elevator and I was getting nervous. I have claustrophobia. It's usually not bad and normally I can be in small places until the primal part of my brain starts to register that I can't get out, then panic sets in.

"You're looking a little white and you have beads of perspiration on your forehead. Are you claustrophobic?"

"Yes, just a little...... " Bam! I fell to the elevator floor with a thud.

"Whoa, that was cool." I heard House say as I continued to spiral down into a void.

I woke up looking up at House who was still standing and had not offered any help to me whatsoever. Pushing my torso up, I looked up at him, "Aren't you supposed to be a doctor?"

"I'm not supposed to be one, I am one!" He shrugged and looked bored. "You were ok, you hadn't hit your head or had any seizures. You came out of it on your own."

"Gee thanks. I started to get up."

"Stay down, sit up but don't try to stand just yet. Let your blood pressure stabilize."

I stayed prone on the floor of the elevator while he leaned back against the side wall.

"Did anything happen while I was out?"

"Yes, there was a nuclear holocaust and we're the only ones left alive. _No_, you were only out for a few seconds."

"Oh."

There was silence.

"Why were you following me?" He asked.

"Following you? I've been shopping here at the mall since 4:00 p.m., how long have you been here?"

"You were following me, I saw you. Why?"

I was going to deny it but it seemed fruitless. He obviously knew I had been stalking him. "When I saw you in the mall I was just curious as to why you were here."

"I was here to get a new battery for my cell phone. Mystery solved. So what did you buy?"

"I told you, underwear."

"I want to see it."

"Are you a perv?"

"No, but I do like to see women in underwear."

"I'm not going to model it for you."

"Let me see it, I may not want you to model it."

I gave him a look like he was crazy and he gave me a silly look back. Opening the blue and gold Perla bag, I pulled out a black and pink demi cup bra with a black lace ruffle at the top. It had matching boy cut panties. I also pulled out two more pairs of rather mundane panties. "Well?"

"I take it back; I would like you to model the pink number."

"Yeah, and I'd like a night with George Clooney."

The elevator started and I stood when we reached the bottom. The door opened and House walked off in front of me.

He turned. "I'm going to go get something to eat, do you want to join me?"

"Uh...sure. Should I meet you there?"

"I was just going to go to Camillo's Café here at the mall."

"Oh, oh that's fine."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

We went into the restaurant and waited for the waitress, but it wasn't busy so she motioned for us to take any seat. We chose a non smoking table with a window and took a seat across from each other. I had on black jeans, a black top and just a smattering of mascara. He had on dark jeans and a deep blue t shirt. He ordered a bottle of red wine and then we placed our dinner orders.

"Are your parents still alive?" I asked.

"Yes and no. My dead father raised me, but wasn't my biological father. My Mother and biological father are alive. Why do you ask?"

"Just small talk. My parents are dead, my Mom from smoking, my Dad from being hit by a drunk driver."

"My mother and biological father are in great shape." He said.

'You're lucky. Do you have any siblings?"

"No. Why did you come to Princeton?"

"To meet you of course. Isn't that what you want to hear?"

"Seriously, why did you come to Princeton?" He was intent on getting an answer.

"I'm thinking of going back to school next year, but I wanted to get settled first."

"Aren't you a little old to go to college now?"

"How old do you think I am?

"You look 30 but I'm guessing 35."

"36 and how did you know?"

"The Irish tend to look young until they turn 50 and then it all catches up."

"Why are you sitting here with a janitor?"

"Good question. I don't know except that you aren't what you seem."

"Here's a question. Why are you so miserable?"

"Oh great, here it goes. Have you been talking to Wilson? I get really tired of this question. I'm miserable because my Daddy beat me or my Mommy didn't bake cookies for me. Look, I just don't find life to be a bowl of cherries."

"I can see you got the bowl with the pits in it. Somebody ate your cherries."

The waiter brought our salads. I noticed House took the peppercini off, so did I. He poured me another glass of wine. I get tipsy on one glass, on two I'm ready to Karaoke, on three I'm up dancing on tables, on four I'm driving the porcelain truck. I had to slow down.

We started talking about where we grew up and I found out that we were both military brats. His Dad was an officer, mine was enlisted. I talked about doing a lot of traveling in Mexico, especially around the border towns. He had also lived in San Diego at one time and remembered going to Tijuana with his parents and relatives to shop and eat.

We had a nice chat in which he actually carried on a decent conversation. After dinner I was feeling the effects of the two glasses of wine as we walked to our respective vehicles. It was dark out. "Where's your car?" He asked.

"Ummm, you know...I don't remember.....by Penney's...where's Penney's?"

"On the other side. My motorcycle is just over there. I'll give you a ride."

As we walked up to his motorcycle, I watched from the corner of my eye as two guys in hoodies stood talking and then approached us very quickly. I could see we were in trouble because one of them reached in his pocket and pulled out a gun.

"Come on, give us your money...hurry."

House, for once, managed to keep his mouth shut. Instead, he got out his wallet and started to pull out the money.

I looked at the guy. "You must be joking. I _worke_d for this money; this is my rent money, my grocery money. I'm not giving you my money just because you have a gun."

House grabbed my purse and started to get out my wallet. "Hey, what are you doing?"

I started pulling at my purse.

"I'm saving your life, now give him your money." House was trying to pull the wallet out and I wasn't letting him.

The kid looked around and turned the gun sideways like he'd probably seen in a movie. "Lady, I'm only going to say this once, give me the money."

I don't know how I managed to do it drunk but I came up with a kick I had learned a long time ago when I was twenty-five in Tai Kwon Do. I had taken martial arts very seriously and had become a Second Dan Black Belt. My mouth dropped in shock as the gun went flying out of the hoodlum's hand. He grabbed his fingers in pain. It would have been fine if the other guy hadn't had a ten inch knife that he stabbed into my side. Just as he pulled the shank of the knife out of my body, the Shopping Center Security Police showed up and these guys ran like the wind. It was dark and House didn't know exactly what had happened because it went down so quick. I was still standing at this point.

Security got out. "You guys ok?"

"I think so, Morrigan are you alright?"

"I'm not sure, I feel a pain in my side. I guess I'm ok." I took a wobbly step. "I think I need to sit down though, I'm a little winded. The air in my chest felt sharp and it was difficult to breathe.

"Let me take a look." House started to walk me over to the parking lot light so he could see but I stumbled again. He caught me and felt the blood on my side. "Hey, you... " he called to security, "She needs a bus, get her a bus, she's bleeding."

"I'm going to lay you down now to try and stop the bleeding. Tell me what you feel." He eased me gently down on the ground the best he could with his bad leg. Then he kneeled by my side.

"I feel like I can't breathe…I feel light headed."

"Hey, get me some blankets, a jacket, anything I can prop her legs up with." He then raised my shirt and could see the wound which was about 2 inches long. He applied pressure over it.

I was gasping. They gave him a blanket and he raised my legs and put the blanket under it.

"Where's that ambulance? She's bleeding out." As soon as he got the words out I heard the siren.

When the paramedics jumped out House started shouting, "She'll need a unit of blood when she gets to the hospital. She's bleeding out and her lung has been punctured. Her pulse is thready and she's clammy."

They loaded me in the back of the Aambulance and House said, "Take her to Princeton Plainsboro, that's where her doctors are."

From what I learned later, House got on his motorcycle and followed the ambulance. When we got to Emergency I was on saline until they could get me typed for blood. I kept going in and out of consciousness. While House was sitting in the ER he was looking through my purse, finding a card for the Reproductive Technologies Inc., my sperm bank in Baltimore. House remembered something about the name but couldn't quite place it. He had a strange feeling about this.

I flat lined on the table. When I did, I felt euphoric, like I was sailing. I flew to the top of the ceiling and looked down at my body lying on the gurney. There were five doctors and nurses running around hooking things up to my body and Greg stood over in the corner with my purse, looking up at the monitor and yelling at the doctors. I kept drifting up and up, beyond the ceiling, beyond the beams between the floors and then, _snap! _I slammed back into my body and the monitor registered a heartbeat.

My lung was punctured by the blade and the blood had drained into my chest, putting pressure on the outside of my lung and collapsing it. The doctor drained the blood and performed microsurgery on my lung which allowed it to re inflated. After surgery, I was sent upstairs to recovery before being put into my own hospital room the next morning.

Dr. Wilson came up to visit me and brought me some magazines. "Hello, how are you feeling?"

"Okay. My side hurts a little."

"House says that you went Kng Fu on him. You wouldn't give up your money."

"That's what two glasses of wine does to me. Is he ok?"

"House? He's fine."

"Do you know how long I'll be in here?"

"Maybe another day, no more. They want to get you out of here. The longer you're in a hospital the better chance for getting an infection."

Wilson stayed and talked to me for a few more minutes and then left. The physical therapist came in and demanded that I get up and walk around to keep my lungs clear. It really hurt to walk but she kept egging me on so I walked around the entire ward.

I was reading magazines when House came up to visit. "What in the hell were you thinking? It was just money. You could have gotten us both killed."

"It was _my_ money. Did they catch the rat bastards?"

"Yes, they were both caught. I suspect you'll be seeing them at a trial. I had to go down to the station. After the lineup I went by their holding cell. They wanted to know how that lunatic blonde broad was doing?"

"Oh, I'm sure they did."

House received a page. "Gotta go. And he was out of the room."

Lisa Cuddy came into my room a few hours later. "Hello...it's Morrigan, right?"

"Yes, Morrigan. Hello Dr. Cuddy."

"How are you feeling?"

"It's a little painful but I'm doing well."

"According to House, you almost got both of you killed."

"If I had known the other guy had a knife I might not have tried my Tae Kwon Do move. Or at least I would have protected myself against him. However, it was my mistake, we're taught to anticipate that everyone has a weapon and I didn't."

"Well, I suggest you give them the money next time. However, you should know that the media is calling you a hero because you took out the guy with the gun, so they've been waiting for a chance to come in and interview you. Can I bring some of them in to interview you? And by the way, I wanted you to know that you can have as much time off as you need to get better."

"Sure, bring them on in."

I gave an interview to three reporters, one at a time. One of them was Justin Roberts, apparently he was back from the hurricane. He was being really smooth and slick so I decided to make my move.

"Mr. Roberts, I just wanted you to know that I just love your work on television." I gave him a look that said, "you're hot."

"Thank you. I think what you did took guts. Where was this Dr. House when you were doing all this? "

"He was doing the rational thing; he was trying to get me to give them my money".

"And when you attacked the thief with the gun?"

"Oh, it all happened so fast, House didn't even know I was going to do it. Then the guy stabbed me, but I didn't know it at first."

"It sounds like Dr. House was asleep at the wheel."

"No, not really. It went down too fast for anyone to react. Besides, when I was wounded he saved my life by giving me aid on the scene and ordering an ambulance."

"Well, I guess better late than never."

I talked to him for another ten minutes and I knew he was going to ask me for my phone number. When he did, I gave him my cell and my home phone. I told him to give me a week before he called so I could heal.

Justin Roberts tore House a new one when he reported my story on the television. He claimed that House stood by while I defended the two of us alone. I grabbed my saline and antibiotics stand and wheeled it into the elevator, and made my way up to House's office the next morning.

Sitting in his office, he looked quite handsome and studious with reading glasses on and a journal in his hand. When he saw me, he rolled his eyes. "Oh, thank God, I wasn't sure how I was going to get through the day without my protector. I was feeling weak and indecisive."

"I didn't say those things to him. I told him that you acted responsibly and I didn't. He took what I said out of context." I turned around and started back up to the ward. _Why do I even care what this jerk thinks? _

I was waiting for the elevator when he saddled up next to me looking apologetic. "I believe you. Roberts has a hard on for me; it wasn't your fault. Are you getting out of here today?"

"Yes. I'm going back up and they're going to start the paperwork."

"What's your telephone number? Ill uhh...I'll check up on you."

I gave it to him and he put it in his pocket, turned around and went back to his office. I took a cab over to the mall, found my car and drove it home. Driving wasn't the brightest thing I've ever done considering the drugs I was on and the pain I was in, but somehow I got home. After checking my mail, I took more Vicodin and went straight to bed.

I woke up late the next day and took a Marine bath, washed my hair and dressed. I had discovered that House's ex had been a lawyer at the hospital so I asked around and was told her name was Stacey Warner and she was married. I grabbed my laptop and went back to bed and started surfing the net for information. She was about two hours north of Princeton in Short Hills.

I spent another day in bed and then decided I needed to get up and start moving around so I went to the grocery store and picked up some things that I needed. My cell phone played AClocks letting me know I had a call coming in.

"Hello?"

"Is this Superman? "

"Maybe, is this Lois Lane? "

"Have you managed to keep the streets crime free?"

"Just for you. I laughed."

"Have you been getting up and around?"

"I'm at the grocery store right now. You need anything?"

"If they're having a special on Angelina Jolie pick me up one."

"I heard you need a coupon for her." I was trying to lean over to pick up some fruit without causing pain and not doing a very good job. "Hey, why don't you come over and I'll make us something to eat...nothing fancy."

"What time and where?"

"6:30 p.m. at 4303B Nassau Court."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

He arrived and without so much as a smile walked in and looked around my little place as he pushed a bottle of wine into my arms.

"This is the devil's brew..." I said, remembering that I was drunk when I was stabbed.

"Then I must be the devil."

He had on a nice navy blue t shirt, jeans on and he smelled great, like the woods and cinnamon all rolled into one. Leaning his back on the counter, he stood soberly with a glass of wine in his hand as he watched me finish cooking the meal. I had made cheese enchiladas with Pico de Gallo, shredded beef burritos and a chopped salad. First I dished out the food on his plate then poured him another tall drink of wine. He followed me to the couch where we sat to eat in front of the television.

There wasn't much conversation as he practically inhaled the meal and then asked for more. As I handed him a plate of seconds, he managed to tell me, "This is good. I don't get too many home cooked meals."

"Thank you, Dr. House."

"Call me, Greg."

After dinner we watched _The Usual Suspects_ on DVD. Greg, hunched down on the couch with his legs up on the coffee table, was starting to doze a little towards the end. When the movie was over I woke him with a gentle tug.

He flinched and those big blue eyes bolted open. "Sorry, but I was up all night with our latest patient."

"That's ok, I'm glad you could relax. Greg, I'm thankful that you came over, but I don't want you to feel obligated to check in on me."

"You obviously don't know me. I don't feel obligated to do anything."

"I'm glad."

I packed up some leftovers for him and told him to just warm them in the microwave for a few minutes. He turned around at the door, looked at me and for a minute I thought he might just kiss me, but he didn't. He simply said goodnight and that he would call me before hobbling out into the dark. I took a painkiller and went to sleep.

Saturday I woke up and drove up to the Warner's residence and knocked on the door. I was dressed in a business suit and an official looking file. I rang the doorbell and heard a woman say that she would get the door. When it opened, in front of me was a lovely woman, obviously in her late early fifties with dark hair, dark eyes and a symmetric face that would appeal to any man. Her eyebrows had been plucked into a dramatically high arch. She also had a nice body, not too thin, just right. I was impressed, she reminded me of the many female defense lawyers I had run across. They tended to dress and act a little more within the boundaries of the human social contract.

"Attorney Stacy Warner?"

"Yes?"

"Hi, I'm Jessica Walker from Acacia Insurance adjusters. We do investigative work for insurance companies when they underwrite policies. We have a few questions for you about Doctor Gregory House."

She adjusted her posture as if suddenly she was uncomfortable. "Sure, come on in. Let's go in here." She pointed me towards a formal dining room where we sat at the table. "We've had some concerns about Dr. House's methods and we understand that not only did you know him professionally, but at one point he put you down as a personal reference."

"Yes, I know Dr. House professionally and personally."

"Would you consider Dr. House a professional risk to an insurance company?" I watched as she searched for the best words to protect Greg. This woman still cared for him and had no desire to burn him or cause him grief.

"No. Dr. House takes on patients that other doctors give up on and so he has to run more tests, take more chances and think outside the box than other doctors. But he also has a very high rate of success, so the risks are more than balanced by his success. He has incredible skills."

"Yes, I've been told that, but I understand that his interactions with staff and patients is somewhat caustic. Did you find him to be caustic on a personal level?"

"He has his moments. But generally, underneath he's very likeable and can be very generous and kind."

"Would it surprise you if I told you that you were the first to say that?"

"Have you talked to Dr. Wilson? Dr. Cuddy?"

"Not yet."

"I think those who know him well will give you a different story."

She and I spoke for another fifteen minutes about Greg and his work at the hospital. I thanked her and left. The interior of the house was suprisingly homey, not pretentious at all. I suspected the cozy feeling had a lot to do with her husband because I got the feeling Stacy was more inclined to have a house filled with contemporary, beautiful things. I had to admit that she was both gracious and protective of Greg. I couldn't find anything to fault her except for the fact that she had left him when he was at his lowest. He had good taste in women.

I drove back to Princeton and went straight to bed although I was in some pain and so I took a painkiller. I woke up Sunday and spent the day outside, walking around the campus and the park. As I was walking back to my house in the late afternoon I received a call on my cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Where are you? I'm standing outside your place with pizza." It was Greg.

"Come out to the curb and look down the street." I told him.

He walked down the driveway and then turned around. I waved at him and he nodded an acknowledgment. I couldn't go any faster, I was in pain from walking so much. When I got up to him he said, "Aren't you overdoing it?"

"They told me to walk, to make sure my lungs stay clear."

"You don't want the stitches to come out just yet. You need to slow down a little."

"Come on, let's get inside with that Pizza. It sure smells good. How did you get it here on your bike?"

"Bungie cords."

We went inside and then out on the little patio in the back that overlooks the woods behind the main house. He had a beer, I had a diet coke.

"Morrigan, what aren't you telling me?"

"What do you mean?" I gave him a look of surprise.

"With you two plus two doesn't add up. I'm not sure what it is."

"Well, aren't we all holding something back? Maybe when I feel I can trust you completely I'll be completely candid."

"I don't think you can ever trust anyone completely."

"I think there are people in your life that you can; that have your back. Of course if you push anyone hard enough, they'll give up, but not because they want to give up. Have you ever pushed someone so hard they gave up?"

"Lots of times." He said it with a mouth full of pizza, but without hesitation.

"Anyone special?"

"Do you mean, have I pushed someone out of my life that I loved? Yes, but I knew I couldn't give her what she wanted."

"What did she want?"

"Me. My attention. I tend to get caught up in my own world. I ignored her, I argued with her, I was cruel at times."

"How long did you have a relationship with her?"

"Five years."

"Must not have been cruel all the time. She stuck around a long time, unless of course she was a masochist." I said.

"What about you?"

"I'm the queen of short term relationships. I get caught up in work and can't leave it behind." I immediately recognized my slip.

"You get caught up being a janitor?" He knew he had me. He gave me a sly smile.

"I wasn't always a janitor."

"Ah, what were you?"

"A very lonely person."

"That's hard to believe, you're not bad looking, you have social graces, you can carry a conversation."

"And yet, I don't have anyone to come home to at night. Did you ever want kids?"

"I never saw myself as good father material. I'm too critical and abrasive. But they say that when you have your own kids, it changes your world. I guess the answer is that I was ambivalent, of course now I'm too set in my ways, too old to be a father. "nd you?"

"I'd like to have a child. I think I have a lot to offer and I'd make a good Mom. But as I told you, I'm the queen of short term relationships."

"You never answered me. What were you before you were a janitor?"

"That, Gregory House, is a good question, but something I'll leave as a mystery for now."

Taking his cell phone out to answer a page, he saw it was accompanied by a text message. "Got to go." He jumped up and was off without a goodbye.

I was frustrated, I really wanted him to stay and he kept getting paged. But, I had my answer. I knew that Greg House had good genes and it was his sperm I would use for my child. "s a result of my decision, he was going to be the father of my child and so decided that I wanted to do something kind for him, something that would help him out. The only thing I could think of was Justin Roberts.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The next day when I arrived at my job, I was told to do light duty. No window washing, just dusting and vacuuming. When I reached the fourth floor, I noted that the entire diagnostic team was concentrating on the white board. There were symptoms listed and lines through medical terms that had been discarded. I slipped into Greg's office and started cleaning when the team broke up and splintered into several different directions. Greg came into his office where I was.

"Good morning Dr. House."

He smiled at me. "Morrigan, could you please clean another room? I need to think and you are a distraction."

"Sure." I left and went down to Dr. Wilson's office. I understood, I frequently had to concentrate on cases and bar my door to the rest of the world so I could concentrate.

"fter work, I went home, got into a short denim skirt, low cut ribbed top and then I went down to the television station, WWOR. I told the receptionist that I had been invited down by Justin for a tour. Her reaction led me to believe that this was a common event. Within a few minutes Justin came out.

"Oh,..ah....." He tapped the side of his head as if he was trying to remember.

"Morrigan Palmer. You told me to come down anytime for a tour?"

"Sure, uh, I'm in a rush to finish a piece right now. Why don't you come back and wait for me? It will only take a few minutes."

"Ok."

I followed him back and he sat me down at his desk in his glass office while he disappeared into an editing room. I started snooping for something that might be of use to me. A thirty-something woman came in with a pile of mail.

"Excuse me. I was hoping you could give me some advice?" I asked.

"Me?"

"Yes, you see Justin Roberts has asked me out and I've heard he gets around a lot. I don't know whether to take him up on his offer or not. What do you think?"

She looked at me and then said, "You need to talk to Elaine Markoutsas up in production. That's what I would do."

"What floor is she on?"

"Third."

I thanked the woman and decided this was my chance. I went up the two stories and found a bank of cubicles. I asked someone to point me to Elaine and they singled out a very pretty woman about five years younger than me. She had blonde hair, green eyes and a very sweet smile. I walked over to her.

"Hi, my name is Morrigan. Are you Elaine?"

"Yes. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I have a problem. I've been asked out by Justin Roberts and my friends are split on whether I should go. Some say yes, the others say he has a bad reputation and I should run. I don't know what to do. I think he's attractive, articulate and charming. Someone told me you would help me."

Elaine looked around. "I don't think I should say anything."

"Look, I've been burned before... my last boyfriend gave me the clap. I don't want to go through that again. So could you please help me? Please?"

There was a long pause and a deep frown, but she finally whispered to me. "If you don't want an STD, stay away from Justin. I got syphilis from him."

"Really? Did you confront him?"

"Hell, yes. He just laughed and told me STD's were just a price we all had to pay for good lovin'. He told me to go to this clinic where he goes in Philadelphia and they would take care of everything at a reasonable price and they'd keep it quiet. He gave me $40 and the address of the Garden Clinic in Philadelphia. He goes there because he's less likely to be seen. I don't think he uses his stage name…I think he goes by his real name."

"What's his real name?"

"I don't remember."

"Thanks, I appreciate the warning. I think I'll cut my dinner short with him. Thanks again." I went back down to his desk but he wasn't back yet so I waited another half hour.

Grinning as he entered, he asked if I wanted the studio tour. I said I was game and afterwards he asked me, "How about a drink?"

"That sounds great."

We went to Conte's bar in Princeton. I needed his real name so I needed to get him to loosen up. "How about a few shooters?"

I went to the bar and told the bartender I needed a Tequila shooter and a shot glass with water in it...for me because I was driving. He obliged me. I took the shots back and we licked the salt off our hands, drank the liquid and then bit a lime. The smile he gave me turned my stomach. Hand on my knee, he leaned offered to buy another round. I flagged down the waitress and asked her to bring us another round of the same. The bartender looked over to me and motioned to the water hose and I nodded yes. We repeated our drinking ritual. Justin asked the waitress to bring him a beer too. After a few minutes I asked him some questions. I told him that my real name was Mildred Pierce. It didn't amuse him; obviously he wasn't a Joan Crawford fan. He told me his real name was Justin Rosenholtz.

"After a few minutes, I told Justin I had to go to the bathroom and I would be right back. I did go to the bathroom where I did my business and washed my hands. "s I was exiting the bathroom I saw Greg and Wilson walk into the bar.

Greg stopped and whistled. "You have legs! And breasts!"

"Thanks, what are you two doing here?"

"Having a drink. Want to join us?" Wilson asked.

"I..." I saw Justin start to come towards me. As soon as he reached us, he put his arm around me as if he was claiming his territory.

"Hey, Babe, I've got to get back to the station there's a five alarm fire in Plainsboro. I'll call you." He gave me a pat on my butt and then took off.

I saw House give me a look of disgust and disappointment.

"It's not what you think." I said.

"It doesn't matter what I think. Come on Wilson, I see two stools with our names on them."

I wanted to say more, but I thought it would be best if I brought him documentation of my investigation and then maybe he would believe me then.

The next day he wasn't in his office when I cleaned, but Dr. Wilson was in his.

"You do know that Justin is suing the hospital and he may get House fired?"

"Yes, I know and I'm trying to do something about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you think I was with Justin last night? I was trying to get information out of him."

"To help House?" Wilson sounded dumbfounded. "You hardly know House."

"I have my reasons. And besides, I think Justin is a jerk."

"What information are you trying to get?"

"I'd like to wait until I get it before I say anything."

"Be careful."

"Please don't say anything to Greg. If it doesn't pan out, I don't want to disappoint him."

"Fine, I won't."

That afternoon I drove to Philadelphia and found the Garden Clinic. I asked to see the administrator.

"I'm Kathy Kingston, the office administrator, can I help you?"

"Yes, I have a subpoena for the files of Justin Rosenholtz." I handed her a phony business card and the documentation. Attorneys send out subpoenas for discovery all the time. I used the case number and civil suit information from Justin's lawsuit against Greg and ran a subpoena for discovery off of my computer. I gave them to her. "I need to review his file for the court proceedings on his case." I held my breath and looked as official as I could in my pinstriped suit. I wasn't sure that a Philadelphia clinic would honor a subpoena from New Jersey.

"I'll have to talk to one of the doctors." Kingston left and I heard some voices in the back.

Doctors are notoriously lazy when it comes to the law and rarely check out the validity of a subpoena, so I wasn't surprised when she came back with a file. It was Justin Rosenholtz's. Inside were several entries for positive tests for syphilis, Chalamydia, and, the most shocking of all, HIV. I was stunned and elated. I got up while she was out of the room and made photocopies of the STD entries on the office copier. I closed the file, stole back the phony subpoenas lying on her desk and left the office. I was on a high as I drove back to Princeton.

After a quick dinner, I crawled in bed, took a pain pilll more to sleep than for the pain, waking just in time to make it to work. Scratching my itching wound, I tried to find Dr. Wilson to ask him some questions, but he wasn't around. I cleaned his office and then went to Greg's to clean. He was lying down on the floor reading a journal. I had a strange and overwhelming desire to get down and lie beside him. Instead I started cleaning. He opened one eye.

"You can skip my office."

"You're pissed because of Justin."

"Why should I be? You two are both consenting adults although he does act a little childish sometimes. I don't care who you date or who you do it doggie style with…you're just the help."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to be around for long, I'm leaving soon." I didn't wait for a reply; I swung through the door and marched down the hall.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Lisa Cuddy came up to me as I was cleaning the nurse's lounge. "Morrigan, I'm having a party on Friday for some of the donors and staff. I just found out that the woman who usually does my serving is engaged somewhere else. Could you serve the dinner? It would take about an hour and then you could leave."

"Why me?"

"This is going to sound shallow, but the woman who does it for me is beautiful with looks like yours. The men love her and I'm really trying to impress these men, they're donors and a couple of them are single. I don't know who else to ask."

"I guess I'm flattered." I needed her to think that I was a janitor who needed money just like any other janitor. "

Ok, I'll do it, not a problem."

That Friday I picked up the uniform from the rental company. It was a little on the 'French Maid' style but with a little more class. The meal was catered and being delivered so I had to be there at 6:30p.m. with dinner service at 8:00 p.m. Everyone was supposed to show at 7:00 p.m. for a cocktail hour. Lisa had set up an open bar where everyone served themselves. I was getting the dishes ready when I heard Wilson's voice in the other room followed by Greg's. He must have said something funny because they all laughed. I was surprised that he was at the party.

The dinner was Barbequed Salmon with a Herb Mayonnaise, parmigiana asparagus, cantaloupe salad and Potatoes Lyonnaise. Desert was sherry trifle, one of my favorites. During the evening I was drinking a little Dry Sack Sherry to keep my spirits up. I still wasn't allowed to lift too much so I served the dishes from a cart. I pushed through the door, entering the formal dining room just as House looked up at me with a sour look. I smiled at him. Wilson smiled at me. I began to serve the dinner. When I began to serve House I bent down a little further just to smell the back of his neck. I loved his smell, it was all man.

As service went along, I kept hitting the Dry Sack Sherry that I had found in the refrigerator. Lisa came in, thanked me for an excellent job and gave me $50.00 for my efforts. Since my fees as a lawyer were $400 an hour, I started to chuckle.

"Are you tipsy?"

"I think I am ...I've been drinking your sherry."

"Well, if you can't drive, you can wait here in the kitchen at the table until you can."

I could tell she was annoyed, but I figured, It's not like I'm going to need this gig again. When she went back to her guests, instead of getting sober, I had one more drink of sherry. "round ten I looked out into the living room and everyone was having a great time laughing and talking. I couldn't see House despite sticking my head out to try and find him. I had to go pee so I started to tip toe down the hall. The bathroom was at the very end.

"fter washing up I started down the hall so that I could grab my things and go when I saw a room with books and a television in it. Sitting on the couch with only the light from a forty watt bulb was House watching the golf channel with his tie undone. I snuck in and closed the door. When I latched it, he turned and looked over the back of the couch at me.I walked around to the front of the couch and smiled down at him.

He didn't smile back. "You're in my way."

I stepped off to the side and paused, annoyed that he wasn't paying attention to me. I reached up under my French Maid skirt with my hands and very slowly pulled my panties down my legs. At first he kept watching the television, but then he couldn't resist following my movements. I stepped out of the lilac lace panties and threw them on the couch next to him. He turned his head to the left and looked at me with his right eye, now curious as to what I was doing.

I went over, putting one knee on the couch and then I straddled him, staring into his eyes. "I'm not wearing any panties." I whispered rather breathily.

"I know."

"There's just a little zipper between us. One tiny zipper separating me from you."

"I know."

I leaned in and kissed him, letting my warm tongue slip into his mouth, running it around the tip of his tongue. As I pulled away I nibbled gently on his bottom lip, pulling it out slightly as I pulled away. He stared at me, our eyes playing a tug of war. The he grabbed me, yanking me in for another, more passionate kiss. This time it was his open mouth and tongue doing the exploring. His tongue and breath were warm and I was tingly all through my body. I could feel the bulge under his jeans push up against the lips of my sex as he became aroused. He put his hands under my skirt, grabbing both cheeks of my ass and then sliding his hands around to my thighs as we kissed. His fingers were cool against my warm thighs. I was wet with the anticipation that his fingers would find their way up between my slit.

I undid his shirt and started to kiss the light gray hair on his chest before moving up his neck and back to his mouth. One of his hands came out and cupped my breast through the cotton of my uniform. With great dexterity, he unzipped the back of the uniform and unsnapped my bra. I quickly took the bra off as I continued to stare into his crystal blue eyes. He pulled down my top over my breasts and started licking the tips of my nipples sending electrical shocks straight to my groin. I grabbed his shoulders, surprised by the hardness of the muscles. He pushed his pelvis up, the fabric of his jeans rubbing against my pubic bone.

"You should trust me when I say I don't have a thing for Justin." I said.

"Why, just so I can screw you?"

"No, because you should just trust me. You'll understand soon. Just say those three words and I'll unzip that zipper for you. Just say, "I trust you.'"

"Haven't they told you? I have trust issues."

"Just trust me."

"Can't, I don't know you."

I looked at him for a few seconds before kissing him lightly on his lips. I hurriedly pulled up my top and zipped up the back, grabbed my bra and panties and stood up. He gave me a look of supremacy.

I threw the panties in his lap. "There's a souvenir for you." I grabbed my stuff and left.

Monday afternoon I went to see Justin again. Rising when I came into the room, he seemed pleased to see me. I told him, "You're buying me dinner."

He was reluctant at first claiming that he had plans, but then he made a call and we were free for dinner. We went to a great little Indian restaurant; a quiet place with mediocre décor and atmosphere. I ordered Chicken Korma, lentils and Nan. He ordered a Vindaloo. I had to admire a guy who could eat a vindaloo curry.

"Justin, tell me about your complaint with Dr. House."

Stopping in his tracks, he narrowed his eyes at me, questioning my reasons for asking. "I can think of better things to talk about."

"Humor me."

"He was upset because I was trying to talk to hit on one of the nurses. I think he had a thing for her because he wasn't even my doctor and yet he said loudly, in front of the nurse and others, that he could tell from the rash on my hand that I had syphilis when all I had was a rash from psoriasis. Because of him, the nurse wouldn't go out with me and then she told all the other nurses. They kept making comments around me about STDs and taking precautions."

"It's a good thing that you didn't have syphilis, isn't it?"

"Yes, I make it a rule to always use a condom and I've been lucky so far."

Leaning over I lowered fastened onto his eyes and said softly, "Justin, I talked to Elaine."

He said nothing.

"You know what I'm talking about."

He shifted in his seat. "What did that bitch have to say about me?"

"Just that you were very a very responsible person; you always got checked at the Garden Clinic. Didn't you Mr. Rosenholtz?"

He turned white and gasped.

"What do you know?"

"Does AZT sound familiar to you? It should, I bet if Dr. House's attorney subpoenaed your file from the Garden Clinic he'd find a prescription for it. I even bet you had it filled in Philadelphia to prevent anyone from knowing it.."

"What do you want?" His voice cracked from the stress.

"I want you to go to the hospital and give Lisa Cuddy a formal apology saying that you withdraw all claims against Dr. House, that you consider him to be an outstanding doctor, that he has your support and that you were wrong. I also want you to tell Elaine that she needs to get checked for HIV."

"I can't do that then she'll know."

"That's right, she'll know. But then we both know that just prior to Doctor House telling the world that you had syphilis you had been treated at Garden with antibiotics. So by the time PPTH took a blood test for it, it was negative."

"So you can go through with an expensive claim and end up paying the hospital for its expenses or you can give it up now and apologize and tell Elaine. Your choice, what will it be?"

He was agitated and ready to explode but I could tell that he knew he was in deep doo-doo. "Alright, I'll do it."

I was eating my Chicken Korma. "Great, now eat your dinner before it gets cold."

Lisa Cuddy told me later that she almost tripped over herself running into House's office. "House, what did you do? It's all over, Roberts is dropping his lawsuit and administrative claim. He's even written a letter to the Board stating that he thinks you're an exceptional doctor!"

House grabbed the letter out of her hand, read it and then casually handed it back and then started looking around for me.

I had already gone home for the day having given H.R. my two weeks' notice that day. It was my intention to start taking hormones to stimulate egg release for conception. I went to fertility clinic that day to have my first injection of hormones.

When I got home I had an interesting voice mail from House. "Call me, I want to come over and see you (609) 921 8041."

I called the number which happened to be his cell phone. "Hello?"

"It's Morrigan. You rang?"

"Are you doing anything?"

"I just got in. I was going to fix something to eat."

"I'll come and pick you up and take you to dinner."

"I don't think so Dr. House. I think your rejection the other day was enough for me."

"Wilson thinks you did something to get Justin Roberts to drop his claim. Is that true?"

"Does it matter?"

"To me."

"It's simple; I had dinner with him and convinced him that you were a great doctor."

"Why?"

"I'm not sharing the reasons why."

"I want to see you."

"I want Bill Gates to adopt me...not happening. Bye Greg." I hung up and went in to lie down on the couch.

Half an hour later I heard a knock on the door. I opened it and he stuck his cane inside to stop me from slamming the door closed. "Greg, go away and get that cane out of here."

"Or you'll strike a cripple?"

"Or I'll strike you." I said. "You had your chance. You should have trusted me then. It's too late now."

"Oh, get over yourself." In one huge burst of energy, he pushed open the door.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"I know Tae Kwon Do and I'm not afraid to use it." I took a defensive position.

He looked at me as if I had just said I was Mutant Teenage Ninja Turtle. He started laughing. I tried not to laugh but he was laughing so hard, I started out with a giggle and ended up in a belly laugh. It took us at least five minutes to compose ourselves.

"You have an option, I can take you out to dinner or we could take up where we left off on the couch the other night."

"Those are my two choices?"

"Well, I could narrow them down for you."

"Oh, so you're hungry?" I laughed at him and he smiled back. "Actually Dr. House, I am hungry and I need fuel."

"Where would you like to go?"

"Let's go get some wraps from Ono's down the street."

We were just about done with our wraps and smoothies when House looked over at me. "Now can we pleeeezzzeee have sex?" Half the restaurant looked over at us and I blushed.

I said in an even louder voice, "Well, honey if you think you can keep it up long enough, I guess we can try _again!_." There was some laughing in the restaurant.

House smiled and said, "Can we pick up your sister again, I sure enjoyed that three way."

I shook my head and lowered my voice. "Alright, I give up. Let's go."

We had walked the two blocks to the restaurant. On the way back Greg tried to put an arm around me, but I ducked away. "I had a wonderful dinner, but sex really isn't on the desert menu."

He looked contrite. "I should have trusted you."

"That's right. You should have trusted me. I make a wonderful desert."

"I really have a sweet tooth tonight. I promise desert will make you happy."

"Hmmm." I kept thinking that getting pregnant might be easier with fresh sperm. "I guess we could have a little taste and see if we want more."

When we got through the door of the guest house, he had his shirt and t shirt off faster than I had seen anyone remove an article of clothing and was undoing the buckle on his pants. Stunned, I started laughing, he looked like a kid who was going to get into the pool for the first time.

House stopped in his tracks and clapped his hands at me. "Chop,chop, let's go, get those clothes off. I want to see those pert round breasts of yours."

I walked towards my bedroom, unbuttoning my shirt as I went. After throwing it on the chair, I turned around to face him. His eyes went straight to my bar.

Egging me on, he commanded, "Come on...get a move on."

I undid my jeans and let them drop to the floor, stepping out of them in slow motion. Dressed only in his boxers with a definitive bulge under them, he laid down on the bed and propped himself up to watch me.

"Ok , now you can slow down so I can watch." He turned on the forty watt lamp next to my bed.

Unsnapping my bra, I almost laughed at the look on his face. He wanted desperately for me to show him what was under it. I noticed a rise in his boxers. I took it off but kept my arms around my breasts.

"Oh no, no, you need to let me see the girls."

Shaking my head no, I turned my back to him and then slowly slipped my fingers under the elastic of my panties, slowing pushing them down to reveal my ass. I tilted over slightly and did a little sashay.

"Now that's the spirit."

Still bending over, my breasts dangled so I turned slight to give him a quick peak at them from the side. His breath became heavier. Rotating to my right, I did my best swimsuit model pose.

"Oh yeah," He smiled, as he pumped his erection, now sticking out of his boxers. "that's hot, beautiful...now come over here."

Responding to his command, I went over to the side of the bed. Greg pulled me down and across his chest so that my breasts were resting on him. In one quick turn, I was on the other side of him and his mouth was over mine, his tongue exploring and stimulating the sexual act..

"Ok, I let the girls out...now it's time to take those off."

"You'll note that Willy is ready and able." He took off his boxers and I feigned surprise.

"Why Dr. House, I think you're happy to see me."

Grabbing the hair above the nape of my neck, he pulled me into a kiss while the long fingers of his free hand ran down my body, tickling and teasing as he did. He stopped and played with my breasts before moving along the curves of my body to my hip bone. Occasionally he would dip down and kiss a part of my body. First he kissed my neck, then the clavicle of my shoulder. My breasts were next. He lingered there, teasing my nipples with his tongue until the were hard and flushed. I was watching as he explored my body, every inch responding to his touch with a tingly feeling in my vagina. As he sank lower on my body, I started anticipating his kisses and I shuddered each time his lips found an empty spot that he hadn't kissed. It wasn't long until he was running my hand through my pubic hair before dragging a finger down to my slit and gently spreading my lips until he found my hot, juicy clit. His tongue teased and licked. His lips kissed and sucked. I was putty, unable to do anything except let him pleasure me. When I came, my toes curled and my thighs tightened as I felt the contractions of my womb and vagina. He told me that I screamed so loud he almost stopped, but all I remember were the waves of pleasure.

I was sopping wet and spent, but I knew it was his turn, so I reached out with my hand an took his hard, deep pink, penis in my hand. I gave him a sensual look and then ducked down, taking him into my mouth as far as I could, my cheeks giving him the suction that he desired. From his moaning and contracted muscles, I knew he was ready to enter me. I was disappointed when he reached for a condom and put it on.

"On your back, I want you missionary."

I did as he asked. When he parted the lips of my sex, he entered slowly, exhaling loudly with each push inside of me. At first he was slow, finding it tight, but easy to move inside of me because I was so wet. The pace picked up and within minutes he rolled me over without pulling out and I was on top. I rotated my hips in a circular motion as he continued to pump, his eyes closing as he continued to enjoy the feel of his cock inside of me. I lifted up and down and then used my muscles to make it even tighter. He let out a guttural sound and then bucked a few times before collapsing back.

He pulled out and chuckled a little. "That was wicked awesome."

"I'd have to agree."

"You are good."

"I was going to say the same about you." I stretched out next to him, putting my head on his chest, listening to his heart beating fast and smelling the musk of his body. I put my hand on his abdomen, over the happy trail leading to the very soft appendage now sleeping between his legs.

He kissed the top of my head and said, "Oh yeah, I forgot, the cuddle after sex stage.."

"Oh, that's right, your hookers probably get up and leave right about now so that you can sleep."

"Yeah, sure you don't want to pretend you're a hooker?"

I hit him, "Oh, so you want me to leave?"

We both were laughing.

"That or you could just roll over and go to sleep, I'll accept either option."

"It's my house so I guess it's my rules. And my rules say that I get to cuddle up against you."

"I have to admit, it doesn't feel too bad, that is if you like naked women wrapped around your body...come to think of it, I _do like_ naked women wrapped around me."

We talked a little and then he hobbled to the bathroom, disposing of the condom before returning to bed. We fell asleep. At 6:00 a.m. the next morning, I got up and took my shower, injecting myself with the hormones. While I was in the shower, Greg did what Greg does best, he snooped around. I only discovered later from the disheveled drawers that he had been through them. There was nothing for him to see in my dresser, but the lower drawer of my night stand contained three files. One file was marked, Jeremy Edwards, Donor 1994. The next file was marked, Justin Roberts, and the third, Gregory House, Donor 593. When I exited the bathroom, I smiled at him.

He smiled back and patted the bed for me to climb back in with him. I told him to wait a minute, running out to the kitchen I grabbed the powdered donuts and came back to bed. He grabbed the package from my hand, took a couple out and put them on my stomach while he ate the third.

"Hey, I just took a shower!" I complained.

He started eating the powdered donuts over my naked body. After he was done with the donuts he started licking the powder off of my stomach and abdomen. When he was done I rolled him on his back and straddled him. I tried to tickle him but he grabbed my arms and brought me down to his chest.

He had me in his grip, his face had turned serious. "Why are you leaving?"

"I know it would only upset you...let's just enjoy the next two weeks. OK?"

He thought about it and then kissed me. We made love and then Greg asked me if I had any Starbuck's coffee. When I told him no, he begged me to go get some in my car, that he couldn't start the day without it. I didn't want to leave him but he was being so cute, I gave in. At that point I didn't realize that he had been going through my things. I guess I should have suspected, but I was on such a high from the night of sex and cuddling, that I trusted him. My mistake. His need for coffee was just a ruse so he could go through the files.

My file on Justin contained everything needed to blackmail Justin into dropping the suit. I assume he probably had a good laugh over that. His files contained two forms, both medical histories he had filled out. They both had his handwriting and were signed in 1987 with an invoice attached stating that Gregory House had been paid $500. I'm sure it dawned on him that this was the sperm bank's file for his semen donation. He told me later that he had needed money for books, having spent most of his student loan on new guitar equipment. It was more fun donating sperm than giving blood. He remembered flirting with the receptionist, asking if she could come in the room with him and give him some inspiration. He remembered the Hustler Magazine he used and the brunette centerfold that he beat off to. I'm sure he wondered what the hell I was doing with his file.

I opened the door to the house and walked into the bedroom with his coffee. "Here you go. I got you ..." I froze. He was sitting on the bed reading one of my files. "What are you doing?'

"I think you need to answer that question. What are you doing with my personal file from the sperm bank?"

"It's my file now. I own it."

"You own what?"

"I own the sperm bank."

"I'm not following."

"The sperm bank, the one in Baltimore that you went to almost twenty years ago and jerked off...I own it."

He shook his head in disbelief. "You're saying that you own the sperm bank?"

I nodded.

"So why are you carrying around..." He stopped and it looked as if the lightbulb in his head just went on, "Oh...wait. Please tell me that my vials of sperm are no longer viable."

I kept my mouth shut.

"Morrigan, are you hunting down sperm donors and checking them out?"

I kept my mouth shut and looked down.

"How many vials are left of my sperm?"

"Five."

He started laughing, "No one chose me at all?"

"_You know why_...you lied, putting down diabetes, mental illness, cancer...not exactly what people are looking for--"

"What made you decide to check me out?"

"I read your application and came to the conclusion that you wanted the money but not the prodigy. What better way to convince parents not to choose you than to tell them you're going to load your kid up with some rotten genes?"

"Well apparently it worked for almost twenty years. So all of this, the job, the questions, the sex, was all meant to see if I had the Right Stuff?"

"The sex was just a bonus. There was a point where I wanted to tell you not to bother with the condom."

"You can't do this."

"What do you mean? You were paid for your sperm; you knew it would be used by someone."

"Someone, _a stranger, _not someone I know. This was all supposed to be anonymous_. I know you_, I'll know that my child is out there with you, that wasn't the bargain."

"What do you mean? In two weeks I would have been gone and you wouldn't have known."

"_But I do know_. I'll buy the sperm back from you, we'll go down to the ATM and I'll give you $500."

"No. It doesn't work like that. Greg, I'm not going to ask you for any support or for you to even be a part of the baby's life. I'll be long gone, so why be upset?"

He got up and dressed. "I'm upset because now I know. I'm want you to destroy those vials."

"I can't, I really do want the baby to have your DNA. That's the nicest thing I can say about someone."

Distressed, he picked up his keys, took a look at me, shook his head and left.

I went to work at the hospital and looked for him in his office. He wasn't in it. While I was next door cleaning Wilson's office, Wilson walked in.

"Why are you still working? I thought you were going to leave and go to Baltimore."

"Greg told you?"

"Yes, House is pretty upset. I think he may contact a lawyer."

"A lawyer?"

"He's serious about not wanting a child out there that he knows about."

I dropped everything. I rushed into Human Resources and told them that I was quitting right there and then, giving them back my badge and signing a paper telling them to send my paycheck to a post office box I had rented in Kansas City, Missouri. Never in my life have I moved so quickly, snatching up my belongings from my locker and taking off. I grabbed my suitcases and packed my bags with as much as I could get into them, throwing them in the car and then checking around the guest house for anything that I needed. It was a small place and I hadn't really brought too much stuff so it wasn't hard to pack out. I started driving down to Baltimore scared that if Greg hired a good attorney he'd be able to at least get a restraining order, preventing me from using the sperm until a hearing was held, which might take months. I wanted to get the vials out of Baltimore.

When I arrived at the sperm bank in Baltimore, I spoke with the staff. They had a portable cryogenics container that would hold the five vials in transit. I parked my car in the sperm bank lot and grabbed a cab to the airport, purchasing two first class tickets to San Diego, California. I boarded and took my seat by the aisle, leaving the other for the cryogenics container. The plane left at 3:45 p.m. At four o'clock, after I had just left Maryland airspace, a Baltimore judge issued a restraining order for five vials of Gregory House's sperm. Sperm that was now out of the court's jurisdiction.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

I arrived in California with my prized possessions and took a cab to my house in Bonita, California, fifteen minutes south of San Diego and ten minutes north of the border. Bonita is a rural pocket surrounded by suburban San Diego. It has homes with large yards, horse trails, golf courses, coyotes, fox, racoon, rabbit, squirrel, skunk and the ugliest possums on the face of the earth. I owned a house that sat on one acre overlooking the Bonita Valley and with a breathtaking view of Mount Miguel. There was a public horse trail that ran by the edge of my property so I frequently sat on my back patio and waved to the horsemen who rode by. I loved my little enclave.

I called my fertility doctor and asked her when would be the earliest that I could start using the sperm. She told me that I'd probably start ovulating in a few days to a week. I was upset with that because it gave Greg time to take action. But first he had to find me. I decided that I would take my five vials of sperm and flee to Ensenada, Mexico, nineties mile south of the border. I called up a friend, Petro (or Peter as I called him) Alvarez, who had a house down in Ensenada and asked if I could stay there for a month.

"Of course you can, but you should know that I plant to drive down for labor day."

"Not a problem, I'll probably come home before then." I replied.

It was settled, I started packing my new Escape Hybrid (I'm a Ford girl) with clothes, food, toilet paper (you never know in Mexico), my fertility meds and my computer. Last, but not least, I grabbed my five prized vials of Gregory House sperm and made a run for the border.

I breezed through the border crossing and took the road leading out of Tijuana to the toll road to Ensenada. The road first runs along the border going west. You can see the sheets of metal and tall fencing that is supposed to keep the illegal aliens from passing through. But all the Mexicans sat on the border waiting for darkness and their chance to cut the fence and make a run for Los Angeles where they could find work that would allow them to support their families back home. Once you travel west about five miles, you pass the Tijuana Bull Ring which is next to the Pacific Ocean and then you turn south towards Rosarito, Newport Beach and then, Ensenada.

Peter's house sits on a cliff overlooking both a golf course and the ocean. As you enter the house you come in on the level of the bedrooms, two of which have balconies that face west toward the Pacific. I chose the guest bedroom with the balcony and view. I figured Peter would want the master bedroom if he came down before labor day.

When you walk upstairs the first thing you see is a wall of windows overlooking the ocean and the whitecaps breaking on the beach. It's quite breathtaking. The kitchen has a large crescent shaped breakfast bar that seats ten. There's a formal dining area and two living rooms, one which had a piano and a bar. It was a gorgeous home and I had it all to myself.

While I was in Mexico, Greg's attorney called him with the news, "We just missed her. She managed to fly back to California with the vials. Do you want me to have an attorney file the same motion in California?"

"Damn, she won't be there; she's too smart for that. By now she'll be in Mexico somewhere. She has to wait until she ovulates before she can use the sperm. I don't know when that will be but it might give us some time. I'll hire this p.i. that I know. Do you have any information on her? "

"Just the information you gave me and the fact that she's an attorney."

"She's a _lawyer_?"

"California State Bar, she's got a great rating in Hubble."

"Christ, I should have known. I don't know why I'm attracted to lawyers." Realizing he was talking to one House added, "I mean _female_ lawyers."

"I knew what you meant."

Within a few days, a friend of Greg's, a guy named Lucas who was a private investigator called him. "You were right, apparently she is staying just north of Ensenada in a private house owned by a friend of hers."

"Email me the information as soon as possible."

House hung up the phone and went into see Wilson who was posting in charts. "Wilson, pack your bags, we're going to San Diego."

"I can't just pack up..."

"Clear your schedule, I need a wing man."

"Give me a break, we aren't teenagers."

"I'll pay your way."

"What's in San Diego?"

"Mexico."

"Mexico isn't in San Diego. What are you up to?"

"I have to go to Mexico and steal my sperm back."

"Oh great, I'm going on a road trip with a guy to find sperm. This is my idea of a great vacation."

After being harangued by House for another half hour, Wilson agreed to go with him for a week. Flying to San Diego, California the next day, they landed at Lindbergh International Airport where they took the airport bus to the Avis Rental lot. House paid for the rider and insurance that would let him go into Mexico and they put their luggage in the back.

As they drove south from the airport they drove next to the San Diego harbor lined with sailboats and yachts. Across the harbor was Naval Air Station, North Island. An aircraft carrier was docked on North Island. It was massive and made everything in the harbor look miniscule next to it. As he started the journey south to Ensenada, House drove by the San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge, a beautiful blue curved expanse of steel and concrete connecting downtown San Diego with the peninsula town of Coronado. House liked San Diego, had lived there for a few years as a kid. It always felt clean and (did he dare admit it?) cheerful. The weather was hot but dry.

House got on Interstate 5 and drove south to the border. "Hey Muchacho, have you ever been to Mexico?"

"No." Wilson thought about all the places he had been, but he hadn't been to Mexico.

"Que Lastima! You drive south and cross an imaginary line and life takes a different slant. It's a great place to party; the Mexicans are very tolerant of the gringos."

"But are they ready for Greg House?"

"I can behave."

"I hope you can, we _are_ entering a different country and I'd like to stay out of jail this time."

"Hey, how was I to know that waitress's dad was the chief of the Polizia? The Italians have no sense of humor."

"I think they have a sense of humor-- they put us in the cell with the transvestite."

"Yeah, but I looked better in those heels."

"So where are we going on this map?"

"Just down the coast about 70 miles to just north of Ensenada. There are several gated communities on the coast that cater to Americans. These communities have houses, apartments, hotels, golf courses, spas and restaurants. She's in one of these little communities."

"So what's the plan?"

"Either I steal my little men back or I destroy them, I don't care."

"I don't get it, if you didn't want kids running around, why donate sperm?"

"I needed the money and I answered the questions on the history in a way that I was pretty sure would doom my sperm to the drain. I didn't count on a lawyer figuring it all out. As long as I didn't know there was a child out there or who had the child, I was ok...but it feels weird to know Morrigan might have my baby. How would you feel?"

"I wouldn't be selling my sperm. But, if I did, I guess it would be strange to know someone and know that they had your child. Are you sure we aren't just chasing Morrigan?"

"Nice skirt to chase, but, no. I want my little men back."

"You shouldn't have let them out of the corral in the first place."

They drove through the border watch, which consisted of one bored Mexican cop waving the cars through indiscriminately and then took the same road that Morrigan did along the coast. The day was sunny and the Pacific Ocean looked blue and inviting. Wilson was envious of the people who lived in this Paradise. They passed Rosarito and then Newport Beach, stopping at La Fonda's for dinner. La Fonda's was a lovely little restaurant perched over a cliff that lead down to the beach. House had the Newport lobster and Wilson had carne asada.

After dinner they finished their drive to the community where the guard at the gate gave them directions to the hotel inside. House had made a reservation at the hotel before he left New Jersey. After checking into the room, they decided to crash and take action in the morning.

Breakfast consisted of chorizo and huevos, fresh fruit, pan de dulce, coffee and fresh orange juice. After eating a hearty breakfast, House obtained a map of the complex from the front desk. He located the house and told Wilson to "bust a move." They climbed into the car and started for the house where Morrigan was staying.

Since arriving at the house I had taken advantage of the time and read a couple of novels, magazines and watched plenty of satellite television. I was also taking long walks around the golf course and along the cliffs. I was just returning from one of my walks when I saw a car with two men coming down the road. I wasn't sure at first but as they got closer I knew it was House and Wilson. I couldn't believe his tenacity.

I ran around to the side entrance of the house and started to panic. He wanted my little men! The boys were plugged in; I was recharging the batteries on the portable cryogenics container. I needed to move them to a safer location. I switched to battery and took one of the vials and wrapped it in several layers of plastic wrap and stuck it in the ice cream carton in the freezer. I took the cryogenics container and ran out the side door and to my neighbor. Her maid was home but she wasn't.

"Habla Ingles?"

"Solamente un poquito"

"No tengo electricidad ahora, yo necessita electricidad para este machina. Por favor, tiene electricidad?"

"Si, tenemos."

I had informed her that I didn't have electricity and need to keep the machine plugged in. She let me plug in my babies and I told her in my broken Spanish that I would be back later for the machine. She was sweet and gracious. Once at the side door, I could hear someone talking inside the house. How House got in, I didn't know. I ran in and saw Wilson standing in the living room while House ransacked the refrigerator.

"_What the hell are you doing?"_ I screamed at him, he jumped up and Wilson turned around. "For God's sakes, Greg."

"I want that sperm back."

"You abandoned those boys 18 years ago. They're mine now and I'm going to make sure they have a nice warm home. I'm not giving you back your sperm. You're the donor that I picked. Now go home or I'll call la policia and tell them that you broke into my house to rob me!"

He stopped what he was doing and took another tack, "I came all this way to give Wilson a vacation...aren't you going to at least be nice to us?"

"This isn't a vacation; you're on a mission to get my vials. Get away from the refrigerator and maybe I'll treat you like a guest. Dr. Wilson, come on over and I'll get you a beer if Greg will get out of the way." House moved back from the refrigerator and I started putting away the stuff he had pulled out. I pulled two Negro Modelos out of the refrigerator. I handed Wilson one and the other one to Greg.

"You can call me James." Wilson managed a weak smile.

Greg took a swig. I really did enjoy seeing him again and so I told him, "I wish you really were out here on a vacation because it's nice to see you."

Greg was uncomfortable, not knowing what to say in response to my kind words. He wanted to say that it was nice seeing me, but he was also angry at me for what I was doing. He had a hard time reconciling the two feelings. "Nice place."

"Where are you two staying?"

"At the hotel."

"Let's go on the balcony and talk." We grabbed our drinks and went out the sliding door and onto the balcony where we sat in the sun and watched the golfers and the sea gulls dipping into the ocean for fish. We had a great conversation, talking about where we had been on previous vacations, what we liked to do on vacation, and what was great about Mexico. I got up to go to the bathroom and when I came back he was in the freezer looking in the ice cream container.

"What is this?" He pulled out the plastic wrapped sperm and dangled it in the air.

"Greg, that's my last vial, please, please don't damage it. I need all the help I can get." He started unwrapping the plastic. I was acting like a defensive basketball player trying to get the ball. He held it over my head as he made his way to the balcony. "No Greg, please don't. Don't you think I'll make a good mother? It's all I want to be right now—a good mother to a child. A child with yours and my genes. Can't you just let me be happy? I promise will stay on the west coast, you'll never have to see us again."

I could tell he felt guilty, but he finally shook his head slowly and threw the vial into the air and over the balcony, it landed and crashed on the rocks below. I felt sad, but I was hoping that by finding that vial he would be satisfied. I hadn't expected to feel so devastated by the loss of the vial; it even surprised me when I started to cry.

"Morrigan, look, I'll help you find another sperm donor, I'll go through their files and find you the best one ...I'll even pay for it." House tried to console me, but I was truly inconsolable. It wasn't just that he had destroyed the sperm, but by doing so, he had decided that my happiness didn't count.

I looked at him and said, "You are a hateful, bitter bastard."

I went downstairs and into my room, climbing on the bed, sobbing into my pillow. I didn't know why it was becoming so important to me that the sperm be Greg's. I stopped crying and turned to stare up at the ceiling. Why did I feel like I had just lost something important?

Greg came downstairs and knocked on my door. "Morrigan, let me in so I can talk to you."

"Why? You just destroyed a part of my dreams. You virtually said that you didn't think I'd be a good mother."

"You know that's not true. It's just sperm, you can find another donor. Now where are the rest of the vials?"

"I used it before you got here."

"I don't believe you."

"Do you think I care about what you believe?"

"Wilson and I are going to go get dinner, why don't you join us?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Ok, well we'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

He left and I fell asleep within a few minutes.

House and Wilson went back to the hotel. I asked a waiter I knew to keep an eye on them, let me know if they heard anything. He called me later.

"The younger guy—"

"Wilson."

"Yeah, him. Well, when they were in the restaurant, I overheard the younger guy tell the other one that he likes you. He thinks you would make a good mother. He felt sorry for her when something was thrown over the balcony. The other man said you'd get over it, that he needed to find the vials. Wilson wondered if you had already used them. The other guy said you wouldn't use up all your vials on one—ovulation? That you would spread them out since a vial is probably good for two to three somethings."

"Inseminations?"

"Yeah, that's what he said. This Wilson guy says he's routing for you. The other guy called him a Judas."

"Thanks Carlos." I handed him a $20 and he gave me a friendly smile.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

I went next door and found that my American neighbor was home. I explained the situation and she was rather amused, agreeing to keep the vials for me. I was pretty sure they would be safe next door.

House and Wilson came over to my house around noon the next day. I almost didn't let them in but House had brought a huge bouquet of roses and seemed apologetic. "What do you want?"

"We want to invite you to go with us into Ensenada for a late lunch."

I thought about it and decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea to get him away from the complex. "Ok, but I drive and if I want to come home, we come home or you guys are stranded."

We drove down to Ensenada, talking and laughing the entire way. Greg and I always seemed to have a rapport when we weren't talking about sperm and babies. Upon arrival, I parked the car and then we walked around for a few minutes looking at different menus at the front of restaurants until we chose one that had mole enchiladas. We ordered a pitcher of margaritas and waited for our food. I had the mole while Greg and James had plates of fish tacos, beans and rice which they seemed to be enjoying immensely. It was Friday so I called my friend, Dianne, in San Diego and made sure that she was coming down for the weekend. She said that she would be down that night. Sittng at a table on the street and watched the tourists go by. After a couple of margaritas at a local sidewalk bar, we went shopping, buying Wilson a fake Rolex which looked very impressive. Walking through the rows of stalls, Greg decided that he wanted a new brown leather belt. He bargained the young salesman down from $35 to $10. I managed to find a good deal on a white Gucci handbag in a hobo style. After we were satisfied with our purchases, Greg noted that it was 6:30 p.m. and that the sun would be setting soon.

"Let's get a drink." House suggested.

"Yeah, time to go to Papas and Beer." I motioned to the large establishment down the street on the beach.

We put my new purse and Greg's belt in my car and walked to Papas and Beer. The nightclub is on the beach and most of it sits outside in the sand with large logs standing vertically side by side to fence it in. There is a wide wooden dance floor built in the sand with tall tables and chairs around it. Waiters walk through the crowds and tables with funnels. People pay the waiters to tilt their friend's head back and funnel alcohol down the mouth of the poor sap. Then they physically close the victim's mouth and shake their head insuring that they drink the alcohol. I paid $10.00 for House to get the funnel. Luckily, House was easily subdued by the three very large Mexicans holding him down. We all clapped in rhythm as the liquor was forced down his throat. I think a part of him wanted to get drunk that night because when they were done, he was grinning.

Dianne joined us around 8:00 p.m. and quickly hooked up with Wilson. Dianne is tall, blonde and thin. They made a cute couple. I could tell that House was starting to feel the Tequila because he started flirting with the woman at the next table while simultaneously trying to put his hand up my skirt. I was asked to dance by one of the guys at a table near me.

As I started to get up, House grabbed my wrist and told the guy, "Don't you think you ought to ask me before you dance with her?"

The guy and I both asked at the same time, "Why?"

"Because I've had carnal knowledge of her and that makes me her companion for the night." He was smiling and very cute.

"I don't think so..." I wrenched my wrist from him and went out to dance. The guy was very handsome and probably a few years younger than me. Our dancing became somewhat intimate which triggered a reaction in Greg. After a few minutes he came up on the dance floor with his cane.

Yelling over the music at the guy dancing with me, he screamed, "You need to run, get out while you can, she'll steal your sperm your little men and make you chase her around the world trying to get them back...run..._run…run._" My companion stared at House and then gave me a shrug before walking back to his table. I went back to my table with Greg following behind me.

"Greg, are you going to ruin all my fun tonight?"

"I can't hear you." He said. The music was a very loud, pulse-pounding hip-hop number.

I nodded and pointed to the area just outside on the beach where the music wasn't so loud. He followed me out to the beach. "Let's walk," I said to him. One look at Greg and I could see he was really feeling the tequila funnel. We went down to the waterline where I sat down. Standing above me, I motioned for him to sit down. After dropping like a sack of potatoes, we stared out to sea, our view only lit by the tiki torches blazing behind us.

"Greg, what is going on in that brain of yours? I'm kind of hurt, you didn't mind some other person having your sperm and your baby, but you object when it's me? Don't you think I would make a good mother?"

"It's not that. I wanted to keep seeing you, but it would be too weird if you had a baby and that baby was mine."

I hadn't thought of that. I just assumed Greg was interested in me for the sex and as soon as I left Princeton it would be, "Out of Sight, Out of Mind."

I purposefully bumped him with my shoulder. "I'm sorry. I really like you too, but Greg you have the perfect genes. Why don't you let me pass them down?"

He turned, his eyes twinkling, his lips curled up at the ends. "Just give me the boys back." This was said as he started running his hand up my skirt. Pushing me back on the sand, he kissed me. I kissed him back. Tugging on my panties, they slipped off into his hand. Those long fingers of his tickled my thighs and then slipped between them, searching for my slit. Abandoning the search for a moment, I heard the sound of a zipper, but I couldn't see much. We continued to kiss and when he moved me to enter me I didn't know if he had a condom on or not. I could hear the waves pounding in front of us and the disco music behind us, pounding rhythmically. I could feel his beard against my cheek and chest. I spread my legs for him, bending my knees to make it easier for him. He reached climax rather quickly, releasing his breath as the same time that he ejaculated. "God, yes...oh..."

I had sand all up and down my back and my rear. He rolled over onto his back and I reached down to touch him, there was no condom on Willy. It made no sense. He just made a fresh deposit in the Morrigan sperm bank and yet he wanted the 18 year old sperm back? I decided not to move, I wasn't going to risk doing anything that might jeopardize the boys' swim for the gold. I was pretty sure that Greg had now fallen asleep and less than a minute later I heard his snoring. I waited fifteen minutes and then woke him up. I stood and tried to get as much sand off of me as possible. Reaching down, I have Greg a hand to help him get up before walking back to the nightclub.

Back at the house, I put Greg to bed in my room. Wilson and Dianne went into the second guest room. I undressed Greg then sat down on the bed to look at him. Staring back with his beautiful eyes, he looked as if he cared about me. I looked down and saw the scar on his leg, touched it lightly and then kissed him. I took off my top and skirt. He reached up and brought me down to the bed. He took off my panties and I unsnapped my bra.

"You have sand on you." He seemed somewhat surprised.

"Yes, I have a little sand on me, so do you."

"We could rub together and be sandpaper. Come here." He proceeded to rub up against me. "Whoa...when I do that I get frisky. Let's try one of those Kama Sutra positions."

"With your leg there's a few we can't do...but we could try the snail position."

"That sounds...slippery."

I introduced him to his first position out of the Kama Sutra and I could tell he was enjoying the novelty of it. I was enjoying the fact that he was still not wearing an overcoat and the position provided deep penetration, excellent for conceiving! After the lovemaking was over, Greg crawled into bed beside me, grabbed around my waist and collapsed. I rolled him on his side so that the snoring would stop.

The next morning I woke up late, sat up and looked down on a sleeping House. He opened up his eyes and tried to focus on me. "You're naked."

"You are too." I said.

"We're naked! Did we do what naked people do?"

"Oh yeah baby, you brought it home last night."

"But did I bring it home in a wrapper?"

"No, baby, you went commando."

The look on his face was priceless. He realized that he may have just given me everything I wanted. It was almost like he had just discovered he lost the spelling bee.

"Damn."

"You just made up for the vial you busted...we'll call it even. Do you need some naprosyn or anything?"

"That would be nice."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chaper 13**

I put on a robe and went upstairs. Dianne and Wilson were already up and eating breakfast. Grabbing House a cup of coffee and some Naprosyn, I took it downstairs and found him sitting up in bed looking as if the USC band was playing in his head. I felt a little sorry for him; he looked as if he was trying to figure out how to get the boys back that he set free last night. I handed him the coffee and pills and he thanked me.

"Don't look so glum, you performed the snail last night with great enthusiasm."

He looked at me with a sweet face and asked, "The Snail?"

"Out of the Kama Sutra. It's a shame you don't remember, you certainly moaned loud enough at the end." I gave him a demonstration of his sexual moaning and grunts to which he rolled his eyes.

"It would be nice if I remembered, but the last thing I really remember was having half a bottle of Tequila poured down my throat."

"Are you up for breakfast?"

"No way. My stomach couldn't handle it. Besides, I have a lot of sand on me and I need a shower. We should probably change these sheets; it feels like sandpaper in here."

"You were playing "human sandpaper" with me last night."

"Oh." he said weakly.

I left him to take a rather long and contemplative shower. I did change the sheets and threw them in the little washer in the laundry room. Greg, fresh from his shower, walked upstairs where he was greeted heartily by Wilson.

"My God, he lives! I thought that if we lit a match next to you last night you would have gone up in a cloud of Tequila vapors."

"You should have put me out of my misery." Greg grabbed another coffee.

"Dianne and I are going to go play a round of golf. We'll be back in about three to four hours, so do you think you can behave while I'm gone?"

"I plan on planting myself in a lounge chair and not getting up."

House did just that. He grabbed a lounge chair outside on the balcony and lay down. I took the one next to him and watched as the birds flew and dipped into the ocean to grab fish. Occasionally we would see a pelican but most of the birds were the common seagull. House napped and once in awhile we talked about a variety of things and when we saw Dianne and James just below us on the golf course, we waved to them. Dianne is a good player and was giving James a run for his money.

I went in and made sandwiches for us which Greg was finally able to get down around 3:00 p.m. I gave him some Seven Up and he drank it down before crashing again. When James and Dianne got back they came in and took one look at House and shook their heads.

"Has he been like this since we left?" James asked.

"Yeah, I doubt I'll be ordering another funnel for him, he's really feeling it." Isaid.

"Should we wake him?"

"Are we going to go anywhere?" I asked them.

"We thought we'd go and sit in the hot tub at the hotel. I checked us out but they said anyone in the community can use it."

"Sounds good. Greg...Greg..." I went over to his lounge chair and rubbed his chest, "Greg, get up, we're going to go sit in the hot tub."

He opened his eyes, rubbed his face and tried to swing his legs over the side. Shaking his head, he reached up to Wilson who gave him a hand up.

"I checked us out of the hotel and put your bag down in the guest room. Go get your swim trunks on and we'll go to the hot tub." James explained.

Greg pulled himself together and got into his Nautica swim trunks. I changed into my one piece swim suit, grabbed four towels and put on my flip flops. We all took a change of clothes for later. As we drove over to the hotel, we saw people playing tennis and basketball in the late afternoon sun. We had the hot tub to ourselves. Everyone else was probably in Ensenada partying.

The hotel was a modern version of an old adobe mansion with outer buildings that looked suspiciously like a motel. The interior of the hotel had cobalt blue tiles around the entries and arches. The floors were Saltillo tiles. Outside, the pool and hot tub were shaded by large ferns, palms and short patio trees. We climbed into the hot tub and the waiter came over to take our drink order. I had a margarita, Dianne a peach margarita and the boys had Negro Modelos—a hair of the dog so to speak. Wilson informed us that Dianne had won the match with a 77 to his 81 and considering it was a rough course, they thought they had done well.

House was quiet except for the odd sarcastic remark. Dianne was a little thrown off by how caustic House was, but I gave her a look that said "chill." She figured that if I could tolerate him, he must be ok.

Dianne innocently asked, "So, have you figured out what sperm you want to use?"

I looked at House who gave me a sneer. "Yes, I chose the _perfect_ donor but there's been a complication."

"Oh really, what?"

"The donor wants his donation back." I said.

"You've got to be joking? How did he even know you had the sperm?"

"He's a nosey bugger. But he's not getting the vials back."

"I thought you brought them down here." She said, not knowing the donor was three feet away from her.

"No, I only brought one vial, enough for this month's insemination." I lied, making sure I didn't give off the tell tale signs of a liar.

"So when do you use the old turkey baster?" She giggled.

"Didn't need the turkey baster, the donor made a fresh donation last night."

Dianne and Wilson looked at House who was rolling his eyes to the sky. Dianne's mouth was open but it was Wilson that said, "We've been chasing your 18 year old sperm and you go and have unprotected sex? I don't believe you, what were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking, Willy was." House looked down at his groin.

"Morrigan, why you would want to be the mother of his child? You'll have your hands full. You might want to think about the morning after pill, I know I would." James said.

"Ah, but who wouldn't want to give their child those blue eyes?" I smiled at House.

"Be careful what you ask for..." Wilson warned.

"I'm confused. You chose his sperm and he's here trying to get it back and then he sleeps with you and doesn't wear a condom?" Dianne asked.

"You're up to speed." I said.

"Don't you two find it rather Bohemian to be in the same hot tub together?"

"I find it frustrating." House growled.

"If I give you the vials back, would you leave or would you stay for the rest of the time you have off?"

House asked, "Is this a negotiation?"

"No, I was just curious whether or not you would leave once you had what you came for."

"The vials aren't the only thing I came for." He said solemnly.

"House, how romantic." Wilson chirped.

"Bite me."

"Ah, now there's the House we know and love." Wilson smiled.

After dressing in the pool house, we went into the hotel's restaurant and had dinner. As the night went on Dianne began to warm up to House. She saw that he had a caustic exterior but that there was also a sweet little boy inside. Later she told me that she still wouldn't want to be in my shoes, but she at least could see a glimmer of what I saw in him.

After dinner, Greg excused himself, saying he had a migraine and went in search of an all-night pharmacy in Ensenada. When he returned he was carrying a bag. I later found out that he had purchased two doses of Levonorgestrel, a pill that prevents the implantation of a fertilized egg. It was recommended that it be taken within 72 hours of intercourse, so House still had time, albeit not much, to get me to take the pills.

Greg joined us at the house where we were just kicking back and talking. It was almost 9:30 p.m.

"Why don't we run into Ensenada and listen to some music?" Greg suggested.

After such a relaxing day, a little music sounded good, so we all agreed. After freshening up in our respective bathrooms, we were out the door fifteen minutes later arriving in Ensenada around 10:30 p.m., just as the clubs were starting to come alive. I took them to a club known for its good blues and jazz bands.

"What's up with you? You're chewing on your cuticles. Are you worry about something?" Wilson asked House who immediately took his index finger out of his mouth.

"Nothing."

"House, don't play me. I know you. What are you up to?"

He leaned in and whispered, "I have a couple doses of Levonorgestrel in my pocket and I wanted to convince Morrigan to take them."

Wilson shook his head in disappointment, "You're not going to try and convince her; you're going to trick her into taking them. Look, what's fair is fair. You got drunk and had unprotected sex. You're just lucky you had sex with the one woman in the world that's not going to stick you for child support if she gets pregnant. Be grateful, _move on._"

"Gee, when I want your opinion, I'll give it to you. I've got an idea." He took his glass over to the table and was followed by Wilson who carried three drinks in his hand.

While House was at the table he said, "I'm not risking another day shot to hell; I purchased some hangover stuff at the pharmacy."

Wilson didn't catch on and played right into House's schtick, "Hangover medicine?"

"Yeah, you know; the new pill to help with headaches and nausea from drinking. Does anyone else want some?"

Dianne smiled, "Designated driver, I'm not drinking after this one."

"No, thanks." James said as he gave House a dirty look.

"If, hypothetically, I am now pregnant, can I drink today?"

"Technically you're embryo hasn't implanted yet and so you could drink without effect on it. It's only when you establish a connection with your blood that the baby is effected. So you can probably drink for the next coupled days."

I looked at Wilson. "He's right, until the embryo implants you aren't drinking for two." Wilson said reluctantly.

"Alright then, I'll have one of those hangover pills."

House actually flinched and it looked as if he felt guilty about something. I almost asked what, but Diane distracted me with a joke. I saw him go to put the pill back in his pocket but then he looked at Wilson who was watching him intensely. House seemed defiant when he gave me the pill.

I saw Wilson start to say something and then stop. I smiled at him but I didn't get him to smile back. I grabbed my drink, popped the pill and swigged down some of my Margarita.

House couldn't look at me. He pretended to watch the band or the crowd or anything but look at me. Wilson was looking around too. I had an odd feeling about it, but it didn't really register. I heard the band start to play, "All of Me", one of my favorite songs. "Hey guys, the band is good." But I got no reply. "Hey, what's going on? You both look like your dog just died."

Finally House responded, "Yeah the band is good." He managed a weak smile and put his arm around me, kissing me. The kiss of Judas. I kissed him back. We had a nice time, House put on a great face and started to tease me and joke with Dianne. Only Wilson remained relatively quiet for the rest of the night.

When we got home I went out on the balcony to look at the moon reflecting off the gray Pacific ocean. The breeze felt delicious on my face and neck. As I stood there, I started to feel strange, not really sick but my stomach wasn't quite right. House joined me on the balcony. First he leaned over it, watching the waves and listening to the rhythmic crash of the water on the rocks and then he looked over at me, sliding down the rail to put his arm around me. I turned to him and we stood locked in each other's embrace, just watching the ocean, the moon and the stars.

"Do you see the Big Dipper? See how, if you follow the last two stars of the bowl of the dipper straight out you hit Polaris, the first star in the Little Dipper?"

"I didn't realize you could find Polaris that way." House said.

"It was the only way as a kid I could find the Little Dipper."

"Morrigan, I really enjoy our time together. I wish the sperm problem hadn't come up."

"Are you really so against having children?"

"I don't know, but if I did, I'd like my child to have two parents."

I said nothing.

"Well, were you ovulating yesterday?"

"I was in the fertile zone. I must admit, I'm rather excited about it and very hopeful. I can't tell you how long I've wanted a child and just never was at a place in my life to be able to have one. I feel _really happy_ for the first time in years...first time in many years. I wish you could be happy for me."

"Well, what are you going to do with the other vials?"

"What other vials?" I smiled.

"Where are they?"

"You're not getting that information out of me sweetie. But I will give you a consolation prize...hopefully, one that you can remember tomorrow morning." I reached up and pulled him closer, kissing him. I opened his shirt and put my lips on his chest, sliding down his chest and abdomen until I came to his belt. I undid his belt and zipper and slipped my hand down his pants. He slipped his hand up my shirt and started playing with my breasts.

"Let's go downstairs." He suggested.

"Okay."

We slipped by Dianne and Wilson who were doing their own personal therapy on the couch and went downstairs. I opened up the sliding door to the balcony so I could hear the ocean. He sat on the edge of the bed and motioned for me to come over. He opened his legs and I stepped between them. Opening the buttons on my shirt one button at a time, Greg started kissing my belly and then moved up to my breasts, his tongue encircling my nipple which hardened immediately. Greg unbuttoned my linen and then let the pants fall to the floor. I stepped out of them. Before taking my panties off, he pulled me close again and kissed my belly and breasts again. His fingers laced through my panties and then he dragged them down, over my knees and to my ankles. Again, I stepped out of them as he gathered me close, burying his face in my stomach. He was sweet and gentle, more of a real lover than any I had had before. He pulled me to the bed and then he stood, removing his pants off and his boxers as well. I backed up on top of the bed, pulling him with me. He stopped, got up again and grabbed his wallet. Out came a condom. I dressed him and chuckled at the irony of it. Turning over on his back, he motioned me to mount him. I straddled him, lowering myself slowly onto his rock hard erection. The lovemaking was slow and easy, almost tortuous in the way we teased each other. Our eyes were focused on each other until the end when he closed his eyes and grimaced a little as he ejaculated. He grabbed my ass to stop me from moving as the pleasure turned uncomfortable. He pulled me to his side and with his magical fingers made sure I came too. Then we lay together, our bodies like two vines growing together.

"It's been a long time since I've felt this feeling. It feels almost like happiness and it makes me uncomfortable. Happiness is not easy for me."

"You don't feel comfortable with happiness unless you feel like you deserve it. Who told you that you didn't deserve happiness? Whoever it was, they were wrong. You deserve it as much as anyone? Maybe even more since you've never had it." I paused and looked down. "Wow, did anyone tell you that you have incredibly long toes?"

"I think Angelina said that or was it Brad? That Brad is always making interesting observations."

I started playing with his toes and then I rubbed his feet for him. "Are you ticklish?" He immediately pulled his feet away from me so that I couldn't tickle them. "Oooo, Dr. House, you're ticklish and I think I need to find out where!" I tried to tickle him, finding the most vulnerable spot on him-- just by his hip bone.

"Stop." He was laughing, "Stop,stop."

I stopped and rubbed up next to him and then brought my knee up across his belly before pulling his head down to kiss me. He gave me a deep, long kiss.

When he pulled out of the kiss he said, "I'm not sure if I should say this but I'm starting to have feelings for you."

I swallowed hard and stared into those blue eyes to see if he was just teasing me, but he wasn't. "I know that took a lot for you to say. I feel the same way. It's a little scary isn't it? I've only fallen for one other guy and it didn't end well."

"Oh, how did it end?"

"He died."

"Boy, you do have a way with men."

"We were in law school together, had been living together for a year and then he got sick. I took him to emergency; he died four days later of leukemia."

"That's dramatic. Did it get you out of finals?"

"Ha, ha, funny. It was hard getting through law school after that." I rolled over onto my back and rolled back into his arms. I was falling in love.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

After dressing in the pool house, we went into the hotel's restaurant for dinner. As the night went on Dianne began to warm up to House. She saw that he had a caustic exterior but that he had his vulnerable side when he wasn't so busy being an ass. Later she told me that she still wouldn't want to be in my shoes, but she at least could see a glimmer of what I saw in him.

After dinner, Greg excused himself, saying he had a migraine and went in search of an all-night pharmacy in Ensenada. Greg joined us at the house where we were just kicking back and talking. It was almost 9:30 p.m.

"Why don't we run into Ensenada and listen to some music?" Greg suggested.

After such a relaxing day, a little music sounded good, so we all agreed. After freshening up in our respective bathrooms, we were out the door fifteen minutes later arriving in Ensenada around 10:30 p.m., just as the clubs were starting to come alive. I took them to a club known for its good blues and jazz bands.

"What's up with you? You're chewing on your cuticles. Are you worried about something?" Wilson asked House who immediately took his index finger out of his mouth.

"Nothing."

"House, don't play me. I know you. What are you up to?"

He leaned in and whispered something to Wilson who shook his head in disappointment. They had a heated discussion and then I heard Wilson tell him to, "move on."

"Gee, when I want your opinion, I'll give it to you." He took his glass over to our table followed by Wilson who carried three drinks in his hand.

Greg announced, "I'm not risking another day shot to hell; I purchased some hangover stuff at the pharmacy."

Wilson gave Greg a suspicious look and asked, "Hangover medicine?"

"Yeah, you know; the new pill to help with headaches and nausea from drinking. Does anyone else want some?"

Dianne smiled, "Designated driver, I'm not drinking after this one."

"No, thanks." James said as he gave House a dirty look.

"If, hypothetically, I am now pregnant, can I drink today?"

"Technically you're embryo hasn't implanted yet and so you could drink without effect on it. It's only when you establish a connection with your blood that the baby is effected. So you can probably drink for the next coupled days."

I looked at Wilson. "He's right, until the embryo implants you aren't drinking for two." Wilson said reluctantly.

"Alright then, I'll have one of those hangover pills."

House actually flinched and it looked as if he felt guilty about something. I almost asked what, but Diane distracted me with a joke. I saw him almost put the pill back in his pocket but then he looked at Wilson who was watching him intensely. House seemed defiant when he gave me the pill.

I saw Wilson start to say something and then stop. I smiled at him but there was no smile back. I grabbed my drink, popped the pill and swigged down some of my Margarita.

House couldn't look at me. He pretended to watch the band or the crowd or anything but look at me. Wilson was looking around too. I had an odd feeling about it, but it didn't really register. I heard the band start to play, "All of Me", one of my favorite songs. "Hey guys, the band is good." But I got no reply. "Hey, what's going on? You both look like your dog just died."

Finally House responded, "Yeah the band is good." He managed a weak smile and put his arm around me, kissing me. The kiss of Judas. I kissed him back. We had a nice time, House put on a great face and started to tease me and joke with Dianne. Only Wilson remained relatively quiet for the rest of the night.

When we got home I went out on the balcony to look at the moon reflecting off the gray Pacific ocean. The breeze felt delicious on my face and neck. As I stood there, I started to feel strange, not really sick but my stomach wasn't quite right. House joined me on the balcony. First he leaned over it, watching the waves and listening to the rhythmic crash of the water on the rocks and then he looked over at me, sliding down the rail to put his arm around me. I turned to him and we stood locked in each other's embrace, just watching the ocean, the moon and the stars.

"Do you see the Big Dipper? See how, if you follow the last two stars of the bowl of the dipper straight out you hit Polaris, the first star in the Little Dipper?"

"I didn't realize you could find Polaris that way." House said.

"It was the only way as a kid I could find the Little Dipper."

"Morrigan, I really enjoy our time together. I wish the sperm problem hadn't come up."

"Are you really so against having children?"

"I don't know, but if I did, I'd like my child to have two parents."

I said nothing.

"Well, were you ovulating yesterday?"

"I was in the fertile zone. I must admit, I'm rather excited about it and very hopeful. I can't tell you how long I've wanted a child and just never was at a place in my life to be able to have one. I feel _really happy_ for the first time in years...first time in many years. I wish you could be happy for me."

"Well, what are you going to do with the other vials?"

"What other vials?" I smiled.

"Where are they?"

"You're not getting that information out of me sweetie. But I will give you a consolation prize...hopefully, one that you can remember tomorrow morning." I reached up and pulled him closer, kissing him. I opened his shirt and put my lips on his chest, sliding down his chest and abdomen until I came to his belt. I undid his belt and zipper and slipped my hand down his pants. He slipped his hand up my shirt and started playing with my breasts.

"Let's go downstairs." He suggested.

"Okay."

We slipped by Dianne and Wilson who were doing their own personal therapy on the couch and went downstairs. I opened up the sliding door to the balcony so I could hear the ocean. He sat on the edge of the bed and motioned for me to come over. He opened his legs and I stepped between them. Opening the buttons on my shirt one button at a time, Greg started kissing my belly and then moved up to my breasts, his tongue encircling my nipple which hardened immediately. Greg unbuttoned my linen and then let the pants fall to the floor. I stepped out of them. Before taking my panties off, he pulled me close again and kissed my belly and breasts again. His fingers laced through my panties and then he dragged them down, over my knees and to my ankles. Again, I stepped out of them as he gathered me close, burying his face in my stomach. He was sweet and gentle, more of a real lover than any I had had before. He pulled me to the bed and then he stood, removing his pants off and his boxers as well. I backed up on top of the bed, pulling him with me. He stopped, got up again and grabbed his wallet. Out came a condom. I dressed him and chuckled at the irony of it. Turning over on his back, he motioned me to mount him. I straddled him, lowering myself slowly onto his rock hard erection. The lovemaking was slow and easy, almost tortuous in the way we teased each other. Our eyes were focused on each other until the end when he closed his eyes and grimaced a little as he ejaculated. He grabbed my ass to stop me from moving as the pleasure turned uncomfortable. He pulled me to his side and with his magical fingers made sure I came too. Then we lay together, our bodies like two vines growing together.

"It's been a long time since I've felt this feeling. It feels almost like happiness and it makes me uncomfortable. Happiness is not easy for me."

"You don't feel comfortable with happiness unless you feel like you deserve it. Who told you that you didn't deserve happiness? Whoever it was, they were wrong. You deserve it as much as anyone." I paused and looked down, "Wow, did anyone tell you that you have incredibly long toes?"

"I think Angelina told me, or was it Brad? That Brad's always making interesting observations."

I started playing with his toes and then I rubbed his feet for him. "Are you ticklish?" He immediately pulled his feet away from me so that I couldn't tickle them. "Oooo, Dr. House, you're ticklish and I think I need to find out where..." I started trying to tickle him and I finally found the most vulnerable spot, just by his hip bone.

"Stop." He was laughing, "Stop,stop."

I stopped and rubbed up next to him and then I brought my knee up across his belly and I pulled his head down to kiss me. He gave me a deep, long kiss. When he pulled out of the kiss he said, "I'm not sure if I should say this but I'm starting to have feelings for you."

"I know that took a lot for you to say. I feel the same way. It's a little scary isn't it. I've only fallen for one other guy and it didn't end well."

"Oh, how did it end?"

"He died."

"Boy, you do have a way with men."

"We were in law school together, had been living together for a year and then he got sick. I took him to emergency, he died four days later of leukemia."

"That's dramatic. Did it get you out of finals?"

"Funny. It was hard getting through law school after that." I rolled over onto my back. I was falling in love.

We fell asleep. When we woke up we just laid there. He rolled over and put his head on my chest and we stayed that way for an hour or more. He felt warm and I measured his breathing against mine. It felt good. House kissed my belly and then got out of bed. I went up to make coffee and House took a shower. Wilson and Dianne were upstairs talking to me and helping make breakfast. House got dressed and was on his way up when the doorbell rang.

House opened the door. "Hello, I'm the next door neighbor. I'm very sorry but I have an emergency back in Los Angeles and I've got to go home. Here, could you please give this to Morrigan and tell her I'm sorry that I couldn't keep it longer." She handed him the portable cryogenics container and everything he wanted on a plate.

"Who is it?" I yelled.

House sat the container on the side table and opened the lid. Sitting inside were four vials of his little men. He smiled. He took the four vials out and walked upstairs. I was standing at the top of the stairs.

"Who was it?" I asked calmly and then he opened his hand. I saw the vials and my heart sank, my stomach churned. "Greg, please...please give me the vials. If you didn't get me pregnant, then I'm going to need those. _Please Greg."_

Wilson and Dianne heard me and the pain in my voice.

"House, don't ruin this for Morrigan. Hell, don't ruin it for yourself." Wilson admonished.

House wasn't happy; he looked as upset as I felt when he told me, "Morrigan, I really am sorry but I can't let you do it...I can't. I told you that I would help you find someone else. I promised that I will. Try to see it from my point of view."

He headed for the balcony. I ran out and as he reached the banister he looked at me with sad eyes.

I was breathless, having a hard time getting the words out, "Greg, please, oh God, please don't. Don't do this to us."

He simply said, "I'm sorry." The vials flew through the air to the rocks below, splintering it and all my dreams into little pieces.

I was dizzy, overwhelmed with sorrow. I fell to my knees and bent over sobbing, I wasn't sure whether I was more hurt over losing the sperm or over the fact that Greg could do that to me after telling me he had feelings for me.

Dianne tried to comfort me, "Don't forget, you two have slept together and you're ovulating, you may not need those vials."

Wilson looked at House and then shook his head. House was pretty sure that Wilson was going to tell me about the pill, so House took the initiative, "I gave you the "after morning pill." That hangover pill was really a pill that prevents an embryo from embedding."

I was dizzy, I felt like the carpet had been pulled out from under me. "Get out. Get out."

He held his hands out to me as if to plead but I just kept saying, "Get out...out..._out_!"

Dianne held me until Wilson came back upstairs to say goodbye. He and Dianne spoke for a few minutes and then he came out on the balcony where I was sitting.

"I'm sorry Morrigan: I tried to talk him out of all this."

"You could have warned me about the pill, you knew what he was doing. I'm not happy with your behavior either. Please James, just go."

I don't know what they did with the rest of their time on the west coast. I returned the next day to San Diego and collapsed at home. I spent the next few weeks trying to come to terms with the fact that I was never going to be a mother. I just didn't have the energy to go through finding the right sperm again.

**Dear Readers, Hope you are still enjoying and reading. Thanks for taking the time to review. Kim**


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry I'm late, I didn't get yesterday's reviews in my email box and I usually don't remember to post unless I see a review! I don't know why FFic didn't send them to me as usual. Thanks for reading!**

**Chapter 15**

House and Wilson returned to Princeton and to their respective offices. Wilson watched as House got crankier. The limp became more pronounced, the drinking increased and he was more distracted.

It was just before Christmas, and the decorations were up all throughout the hospital. House was sitting in his office reviewing an article on the release of a new medicine when the woman showed up. "Dr. House?"

He turned his head sideways and said, "Who wants to know?"

The gorgeous woman smiled seductively,stepped forward into the office, handed him the envelope and said, "Considered yourself served."

House threw the envelope on the credenza and went back to what he was doing. He was used to being sued for malpractice. They always named him and the hospital in the suit. The hospital would assign an attorney to represent him and that attorney would eventually come to him to ask him his side of the events. Until then there was nothing he could do so he ignored the envelope.

Wilson walked into House's office and sat down, bored and looking for anything to keep him occupied. Things always slowed down around Christmas time. "Anything new with you?"

"I just got served with another lawsuit."

"Who sued you?" he asked.

House shrugged his shoulders.

"You don't know? Where are the papers?"

House reached around grabbed the envelope and threw it at Wilson, "Look for yourself."

Wilson reached in, grabbed the papers and pulled them out, "Ho, ho..." He started laughing, a huge bell laugh.

"What?" House tried to snatch the papers out of Wilson's hand but Wilson held them out of reach.

"Morrigan Palmer v. Gregory House, M.D., in federal court no less. Trespass, Personal Injury, Fraud, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress, and Injunction. Let's see, defendant took personal property, five vials of semen, destroyed the personal property. Intentionally misrepresented to Plaintiff that medicine was for headache, nausea and dehydration when, in fact, the medication was the commonly known, 'morning after pill.' Boy this goes on and on...but she also asks for the restoration of her property....ha,ha...she wants five vials of fresh semen from _you_!"

House was turning pale. She hadonce told him that he was tenacious; apparently she wasn't going to let go either. House sat back in his chair with his mouth wide open.

* * *

The bastard said he had feelings, that he cared and then he screwed me over. No one does that to me. I wrangled a favor from my friend, Michael Broderick, to bring the lawsuit. I told him that I would do all the groundwork, discovery, pleadings and pay for it all. He had no problem doing it and actually thought I had a good case for damages, especially for the intentional infliction of emotional distress and personal injury.

Greg had to hire a San Diego lawyer to represent him. I sent him interrogatories that asked him personal questions like, "Name every sexually transmitted disease you have ever had." "Have you ever hired prostitutes for sexual pleasure and, if so, how often?" Of course I knew his lawyer would rightfully object but I did it just to annoy Greg. His lawyer reciprocated with equally ridiculous questions.

Over the next few months, they brought several motions to get the case dismissed but it wasn't, I almost always won motions because of my legal writing and analysis skills. Then it started to get tough. The case was scheduled for trial in three months. It was time to take depositions. We flew out to Princeton to take Greg's and Wilson's deposition in the middle of May.

It was strange being back in Princeton under these circumstances. I walked into the hospital in my Austin Reed suit and carrying my Cole Hahn briefcase. My hair was pinned back and I had on sapphire studs. I had on full battle makeup and I certainly looked like a lawyer. When we walked into the conference room, House was sitting there with his lawyer discussing something. He looked up and straight into my eyes. I don't know why, but I smiled. He gave me a slight smile. I immediately put on my game face and walked over to the table.

The court reporter was sitting comfortably at the end of the table ready to take down the testimony. House stood up. "Morrigan, let's not do this. Let's go grab a sandwich and talk about this. Let's not do this to each other."

"We can't go back Greg, you made sure of that."

"I won't do it, I won't give this deposition."

His lawyer pulled him outside and probably told him that if he didn't give the deposition the judge could refuse to let him testify at trial or simply strike his answer, thus Plaintiff wins. He came back in and quietly sat down.

During the deposition my lawyer asked him, "Did you tell Ms. Palmer that you had feelings for her?"

"Yes."

"What kind of feelings did you have for her?"

"You mean other than sexual? Because I could demonstrate those feelings for her right here. Provided, of course, you have a condom available."

"Was it only sexual feelings that you had for Ms. Palmer?"

House hesitated, "No."

"What other feelings did you have for Ms. Palmer?"

He looked at me and didn't answer for seemed to be forever, "I was falling in love with her."

"Liar" I said under my breath so that the attorneys and Greg heard me, but not the court reporter.

"You have feelings for her but you destroy the semen and give her abortion pills without telling her?

"Yes."

"You have a strange way of showing your love." Michael said.

"Counsel, if you are going to badger the witness, then this depo is over." House's attorney spanked Michael.

House couldn't resist, "I thought that if she had any feelings for me she would respect my wishes and my discomfort with what she was doing."

"Are you in love with Ms. Palmer now?"

I had a hard time looking at him because I was going to be uncomfortable no matter how he answered the question. If he said no, then I would know that it was over. If he said yes then I couldn't be sure if he was lying to bait me or telling the truth and it would hurt to know he loved me and could still do that to me.

"Dr. House, are you in love with Ms. Palmer now?"

"I don't know."

I felt it was an honest answer.

In the middle of the deposition, House received a page, his patient was crashing. He took off without saying another thing. We had to postpone his deposition until the next day. I booked Michael and I two rooms at the local hotel. Michael stayed in for the evening to finish some pleadings on another case. I went out for dinner at a local restaurant and was sitting eating when Greg walked in and over to my table, sitting down and staring at me with those blue eyes. The smell of his musk and the sound of his voice made me both sad and excited at the same time.

"Have you been following me?" I asked him.

"No, I just remembered that you liked this area of town and there are only four restaurants...you're not hard to find, especially when your clothes scream, "California.'"

"What do you mean?"

"That lovely cocktail of orange and blue pants with the navy blue top can only be a California creation."

"You don't like my outfit?"

"I feel like I should have a bow and arrow to put you out of your misery."

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I want us to stop this."

"Why should I? I'll stop it if you give me five vials of semen...your semen."

He looked to the floor in disgust. "You don't want my sperm, look at me, I'm an emotional fuckup."

"I'm willing to risk that your emotional problems aren't due to your genetics."

He was quiet for another minute, "How have you been?"

"A total wreck, what did you expect? The guy I thought had 'feelings' for me tossed away all my dreams and did it knowing it would hurt me deeply. That kind of emotional sting doesn't just go away."

"I'm sorry that you got hurt but I'm not sorry for what I did. When I gave that sperm I thought it would go to a stranger."

"This is a broken record. We keep rehashing the same thing over and over. If you really had feelings for me, did you ever consider that we might have a child together?"

"Of course I thought we might, but not yet, not until we knew we could work things out."

"Well, I guess we found out sooner rather than later."

"Drop the lawsuit and let's try again."

"Give me two vials of sperm and I'll say yes."

He laughed. "Give us a year and then maybe I'll do it the natural way."

"I wish I could trust you, but you made it abundantly clear that I can't." I got up, left some money and walked out.

The next day I decided not to sit in on the deposition, it would just depress me. So I went shopping. I was shopping for my friend when I saw the most beautiful leather motorcycle jacket in a black butter leather. It had just the right proportions for House's long arms. I bought it, had it wrapped and instructed them to send it to Greg at Princeton Plainsboro Hospital on June 11th, his birthday. I bought some other trinkets, small ones that would fit in my suitcase and then went back to the hotel where they were keeping our luggage. Michael was in the lobby waiting for me.

"How long have you been done?" I asked.

"Half an hour. I just got here."

"How did it go?"

"He's toast. He admitted to everything. You've got him by the cajones. Wilson backed up everything in your complaint too. I don't know why they aren't trying to settle."

"Well, let's get our luggage and get going."

A package from a boutique in downtown Princeton arrived in House's office on June 11th, and Hadley was curious about it's contents. House walked in and saw her shaking the package.

"What are you doing?"

"This was sitting on your desk when I came in."

"Who is it from?"

"It doesn't say on the outside. Who do you think it is from?"

"Well, it's probably a birthday gift and it was bought here in town. I suspect Cuddy or Wilson or you."

"Not me. Open it."

House wasn't sure whether he should open it now or save it for later. He didn't get many presents for his birthday and he might want to savor it over a good Scotch. He decided to open it. The package was wrapped beautifully with blue and silver packaging. He opened the box and pulled out a gorgeous and very expensive Italian leather motorcycle jacket. "Well, I don't see Wilson or Cuddy giving me this...where's the card?" They looked and there was no card. House thought a moment and then smiled to himself.

Hadley asked, "Ok, spill the beans, who do you think it is?"

"It's Morrigan."

"But she's suing you!"

"That doesn't mean she hates me."

Hadley rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You two deserve each other."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

My deposition was scheduled to be taken in July. It meant that Greg's attorney would have to travel to San Diego to take it. I didn't expect Greg to attend since typically the other party does not attend the depositions. The deposition was to take place in Michael's office. I parked a few blocks away and walked to the Emerald Shapery building, taking the elevator to the 17th floor. Stepping off the elevator, I turned and walked through the double doors leading to Michael's firm. Michael's offices were beautiful, decorated in an old English style with a lovely, expansive view of the bay. His secretary told me to go straight into his office.

"Miguel, como estas?" I asked.

"Estoy bien...hey girl, you have received the most interesting settlement offer I've ever seen in my twenty years of being a lawyer."

"Greg's offering a settlement?"

He nodded.

"Sperm?"

He shook his head.

My face collapsed and I felt frustrated.

"Since I haven't seen an offer like this and I don't know how to respond or negotiate it, I'll just let you read it." He handed me the pleading with the offer on it.

I wasn't sure I wanted to read it. If there was no offer of sperm, then I wasn't going to accept it.

TO PLAINTIFF MORRIGON PALMER and her attorney of record, Michael Broderick:

Defendant, GREGORY HOUSE, M.D., pursuant to the Federal Rules of Procedure, hereby offers to marry plaintiff, MORRIGON PALMER, provided plaintiff dismisses this lawsuit, each party to bear their own costs. If plaintiff accepts this offer by JUNE 1st, PLAINTIFF may file this offer with proof of acceptance, and the clerk of the above entitled Court is hereby authorized to enter judgment in accordance with this offer.

Jerry Wakefield

Attorney for Defendant,

GREGORY HOUSE M.D.

I fell onto his sofa and went numb. I looked up and asked Michael, "Is he joking? What am I supposed to do with this?"

Michael motioned across the hall to a door. "He's waiting in that room for your response."

"Who's waiting?"

"Wakefield and Dr. House."

"_Greg is here?"_

Michael nodded.

I wanted to jump up and go into the other room and grab him, but I knew I had to play this just right. I sat thinking about it for a few minutes. "Here's the counteroffer, I'll marry him but he has to give me three vials of semen to freeze prior to the marriage as part of a prenup. We agree that we will try to have three children. If we get divorced those three vials are mine."

Michael busted up laughing.

I looked at him sideways as it to ask what was so funny.

Michaeld stood and put on his suit coat. "I've never negotiated a marriage and custody of semen before. This is one for the record books."

I had been so caught up in trying to devise a counter-offer, I had failed to see how humorous it was. I started laughing with him. When we got control of ourselves, he smiled and went into the next room. Within a few minutes I heard a lot of laughter coming from the room. Michael came out of the room and crossed the hall to talk to me.

"Here's the counter counter- offer, two vials and you only get them if the divorce is filed within the first three years and there are no children by the marriage. And you will try for two children. If you have children, any children, naturally, the semen will be destroyed. If you divorce, House will not be required to support or help raise any children you have outside of the marriage through artificial insemination. He also wants you to burn a pair of orange and blue pants."

"If I get to keep the pants it's a deal."

Michael walked to the door, opened it and said, "Gentlemen, we have a deal if she gets to keep the pants."

I stood up and Greg came in, looked at me and started laughing. He held out his arms and I grabbed onto him. We hugged and kissed for several minutes while our respective attorneys stood by. Between the two of us we spent around $20,000 in attorneys fees to work this settlment out.

Greg pulled out a box, opening it for me to see. Inside was a lovely Platinum clad diamond solitaire with two smaller diamonds on either side. "This was my grandmother's ring. I pried it off of her last week, but it's ok, she's in a nursing home, didn't need it." He put the ring on my left ring finger and I melted back into his embrace.

Michael said, "I'm filing this settlement agreement with the court...I think they'll enjoy reading it. And I want to be invited to this wedding."

"That can be arranged." I smiled at him while I continued to hug Greg.

Michael drew up a settlement memorandum which we all signed. Greg and I left my attorney's office and went back to his attorney's office to get Greg's luggage before piling into my car and driving home to my house in Bonita.

Getting out of the car, he took a look around and said, "Nice digs."

"Thanks, come on in."

My house is a typical Californian stucco with a Mexican tiled room. On the first floor is the kitchen, living room, family room and bathroom. Upstairs are four bedrooms and two baths. Outside is a swimming pool, fireplace, barbeque and patio. I took his luggage upstairs and he followed me.

"This is my bedroom." I said.

He looked surprised. My bedroom is all in blue and white with a blue sky and clouds painted on the ceiling. The curtains are white gauzy strips of fabric that blow lazily when the windows are open. There are white and blue plates, including Flo Blu china from England. The furniture is Victorian oak with white pearl knobs and brass pulls. My bedroom looks very beachy.

"I like it, it looks cool and comfortable." He said.

I put the luggage down and he grabbed me around my waist. "You know how to drive a hard bargain don't you?"

"I could say the same about you."

"You smell good." He had his hands up the back of my blouse which he had pulled out of my skirt.

"You do too."

"I missed you."

"I missed you too." I kissed his earlobe.

He snapped my bra open and started unbuttoning my blouse. "Does anyone know you asked me to marry you?"

"No."

Within seconds my skirt was unzipped and his hands were slipping down the back of my panties as he pulled me into him. Those cupid lips of his found mine followed by his warm tongue which made a tentative foray into my mouth to play against my teeth and then duel with my tongue. My blouse magically fell off onto the floor. Greg gently took the bra off one strap at a time. He smelled like spice and musk rolled into one, a smell that made me want to stay locked in those arms forever. His hands, now all over my body, made me crave the feel of him inside of me. I took off his tie and undid the cuff buttons on his shirt while he watched and smiled at me. Then he undid the top two buttons and pulled the shirt over his head while I tackled the belt and the button on his pants. Before long he was out of them and the bulge that had been pressing agains my abdomen was now a prominent erection under his boxers. Nodding towards the bed, he suggested that we get into bed. I didn't protest. All I could think of was how wet I was and how much I wanted to feel him without a rubber overcoat.

Now laying on the bed, Greg ran his fingers seductively down the sides of my body, causing goose bumps to rise up. His fingers hooked the elastic of my pantied and as he pulled them down, he nuzzled my pubic hair and kissed me just above my clit. After my panties were also on the floor, he removed his boxers and joined me under the sheets. His erection was a pinkish red with a beautiful blue vein running and pulsing down the side of it. He was so stiff, I knew I had to move fast to accommodate him. I bent my knees up and spread my thighs, exposing myself to him. He took a finger and touched my clit, sending white hot sensations through my body. Grabbing his erection, he rubbed it against my clit causing me to moan softly. When he crawled up my body to position himself to enter he smiled down at me with such love, I didn't want that moment to end. Pushing slowly inside, he barely started to thrust when he groaned in my ear.

"Jesus Christ...Oh, damn, damn. Oh God..."

He was done so quickly that I started to giggle. After he collapsed to the side, I waited a few minutes and said, "That was interesting!"

"It's been awhile." He admitted. "I should have masturbated in the shower this morning, but I didn't want to jinx my luck."

"How long has it been?" Part of me wanted to ask how many women he'd had since me, but I left it at that.

"Since we did it the last time."

"_You haven't had sex in nine months?"_

"And you have?" He asked.

"No. I've been too upset." A few minutes later I asked, "Why did we have unprotected sex just now if we've been arguing over semen and morning after pills?"

"You still don't get it. Now I'm in the picture voluntarily."

"So, it's about control?"

"Yes, control..." he smiled.

"You are pathetic."

"Yeah baby and you're going to be Mrs. Pathetic. Now that I've had a chance to catch my breath I'd like to make your toes curl. Let me think about how I want to do this...oh, wait! Willy has something to say," He held onto his penis and waved a budding erection at me, "Hello, Mrs. Pathetic."

"Wow, Willy recovered pretty fast for an old boy."

"Hey cut him some slack; he's been lonely. He's just responding to being let out of his cage. Plus the Viagara I took before we got into the car didn't hurt."

"Well, let's run him through his courses but at a slower pace, ok?"

"Sounds reasonable."

We made love this time in a slow rhythm with Greg making sure I came before he did. He teased me and brought me close to climaxing and then slowed down until the buildup was so overpowering that I screamed out, "Oh God, Greg...Greg—_fuck me!_" Entering me, he fucked me hard until Willy was happy too. We were so exhausted that we stayed in bed the rest of the day eating Tostitos and cheese dip with a Negro Modelo for Greg and a diet coke for me. And that was how we celebrated our engagement.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

The next morning I asked him, "When do you have to be back?"

"I fly out Monday."

Since it was Saturday, that didn't give us much time. "We need to figure where we are going to live, where we are going to get married, and when."

"There's one more thing that you have to do. We have to drive up and meet my mother."

"This weekend?"

"Yep, she moved to Carlsbad, close to Camp Pendleton Marine Corp Base and my Aunt Sarah. My mom is expecting me tomorrow and she's expecting me to spend the night."

"It's hard to think of you as having a mother."

"Better to think I was cloned?"

"Maybe hatched." I said.

"I'm going to call her and tell her that I'm bringing a guest and we can tell her together."

"Oh, wow...now I'm nervous."

"Yeah, if my Mom doesn't like you I can't marry you, sorry." He said it with a serious face.

"Greg, are you serious?"

"Yeah, and my Mom picked out what I wore today too."

"Oh, I could kill you! What is your Mom like?"

"She's going to love you, don't worry."

"How can you say that?"

"Well, you're alive, you're not a hooker and you're going to marry me. Those are the characteristics she looks for in all my girlfriends. Anything else is just icing on the cake."

"What about your Dad?"

"My Dad, the one that raised me, is dead. My biological father is a minister and out of the picture."

"You mean your Mother was divorced?"

"No, a harlot. She had an affair while my Dad was out being a patriot. My biological Dad doesn't know that I know who he is. My Mom doesn't even know that I know."

He called his Mom and let her know that I was coming with him. I couldn't sleep, worrying all night long if she would like me. That night, we went out to dinner at Chevy's in Mission Valley and then Greg we decided to go to the movies next door. It was fun just being together and enjoying doing the mundane things that most couples do. He put his arm around me in the theater and kissed my ear and hair during the coming attractions. I leaned up against him and almost fell asleep in the theater. We got home around 11:00 p.m. and went to bed. I was trying to read my newspaper and Greg was turned on his side facing me with his head up on his elbow. He was rubbing my tummy with ever widening circles.

"Ok, I get it, you want me to pay attention to you." I put down the newspaper and turned mirroring him with my head on my elbow. "Dr. House, can I help you?"

"Yes, you can start by coming closer so that I can give you an exam."

"You are making up for lost time, huh?" I said as I slipped over towards him. He put his arm around my back and pulled me into his chest. We kissed several times and then he helped me take my pajama top off.

"I can't believe you wear pajamas to bed." He said with some distaste.

"What did you expect me to wear?"

"Nothing."

"I get cold."

"Not anymore."

He pulled my pajama bottoms off and moved on top of me, pushing my legs apart with his knee. His hands were stroking me between my legs peaking my insterest in having sex. He certainly knew his anatomy because he was hitting all the right buttons. I was making little sounds every time he dipped is finger inside of me, sending chills through my body. I could feel his cock pressing on the side of my thigh so I started to rub up against him in a circular motion. Our breathing grew harder until he entered me, slowly pushing in and pulling out until neither of us could stand the anticipation. The rhythm picked up and I met his thrusts with equal excitement, the sound of his thighs and balls slapping against me making it even more exciting. We came together. It was a great quickie, a wonderful release and Greg stayed on top of me when he was done, but kept his weight balanced mostly on his arms and off of me. Lying like that was intimate and comforting. He kissed me between my neck and shoulder before he finally moved off of me, but his arm continued to lie across my breasts.

"Good night my minx."

"Good night Dr. House."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

When I woke up his arm was still around me. I lifted it up and put it gently off to the side so I could slide out. The warm water of the shower felt good. I chose my favorite shampoo and conditioner for my hair and used Marc Jacobs body wash to top it off. As I was rinsing, I heard Greg in the bathroom relieving himself and yawning. The toilet flushed and my shower went cold. "Jesus Christ _Greg!_"

"That's your wake up call."

The sink started to fill with little tips of gray and brown beard as he trimmed it. He took his boxers off and jumped in the shower as I was getting ready to get out.

"When are we suppose to be at your folks?" I asked.

"Noon."

"I'm getting out now." I said.

Those long arms of his reached around me and pulled me in to him as his lips came down squarely on mine. "Do you have to?"

"Yes, I just got clean, now back off."

"This might be your last chance for awhile..."

I had forgotten that he was going to stay with his parents tonight and leave tomorrow morning. "I don't want you to go." I said sadly.

"Come back with me to Princeton."

"I need to settle things here before going back. Where are we getting married?"

"Your friends and family are here. My family is here. It makes more sense to get married here." He said as I was washing his back. Then I washed his hair, "But afterwards we move to Princeton."

"Ok. When is this wedding going to take place?" I turned him around and started to soap up his chest.

"Whenever you tell me to show up, I will." He smiled.

I started to soap up his underarms and then moved to his genitals. "How about December?"

"December is fine." He said, but his mind was elsewhere. "You better be willing to follow through on what you're doing down there because I'm pretty perky this morning."

"Yes, I can see."

After we had sex, I took a refresher shower and dried my hair. Not wanting to look like I was trying too hard, I only put on a little makeup and chose slacks and a sleeveless blouse. Greg and I put his luggage into my car and we drove up to the "House of House." It was a nice three bedroom home built in the eighties, maybe 2400 square feet on a single level. Mrs. House was standing at the open front door with a big smile on her face. Greg looked ambivalent at first, but his mother's opened arms made him smile. I was nervous and not sure what I should do except smile and shake their hands.

"Mom, this is Morrigan Palmer, my fiancé."

"_What? Fiancé?_ I didn't even know you were seeing anyone." His mother was really surprised, but apparently happy." I received a nice warm hug and then she added, "Welcome to the family. Morrigan, that's an unusual name. Is it Irish?"

"Yes, It's the Irish Goddess of War."

House looked at me in surprise. "Cool," he chuckled.

"Didn't you know that?" I asked him.

He shook his head.

"Come in, tell me all about where you met and the wedding plans."

Now how do you tell your future in laws that you met over sperm? Their son's sperm. I thought I would take my cue from Greg. Greg slumped down on the couch, I sat next to him and he put his arm around me. His mother brought us in some lemonade.

"Well? How did you two meet?"

"Morrigan wanted a sperm donor. I had donated sperm when I was in med school and she looked me up to see if I had good genes. We met and then we spent the next year chasing each other around North America."

"I don't think I'm following." His mother said, looking confused.

Clearing my throat, I tried to explain, "I wanted to have a child and since I own a sperm bank in Baltimore I did some research and decided to check out the donor of five vials that had been around for a long time. They turned out to be Greg's from med school. I met him and, after some interesting events, we're getting married in December here in San Diego. I live in Bonita."

"You live in Bonita? Are you going to move to Princeton?" His Mom asked.

"Yes."

"What do you do Morrigan?"

"I'm an attorney."

"Another attorney. My son has a penchant for them."

"Seems like it." I answered. Greg remained quiet.

"I would like to help with the wedding plans if I can." His Mom was all smiled now.

"I'd appreciate that."

We had a late lunch on the patio outside. The back yard had a lovely coy pond with a small waterfall. It was very tropical with banana plants and palms. Whoever did the gardening did a great job. We ate quiche and fresh fruit. Blythe House served her son and then bent down and gave him a kiss on his cheek. Greg patted her hand.

We then sat and watched the Padres on television, apparently Blythe was a big fan. Greg got up and went into the formal living room where he began to play the piano. I joined him since I had never heard him play. Eventually Blythe also came out to listen and spend time with her son. He played songs he knew by heart and then some we pulled out of music books.

"Was he always musical?" I asked her.

"Since he was a little boy. He loved those little music toys you can buy for toddlers. He started playing piano at five and has played ever since."

"He plays well."

"How long have you two known each other?" She asked.

"About a year."

"Is he happy when he's with you?"

"I guess you should ask him, but I think so. We laugh a lot together and I'm not thrown by his sarcasm and cynicism."

"So, if you met over his...sperm...does that mean you plan to have children?"

"Yes, two if possible." I smiled.

She shook her head in disbelief. "I never thought I'd be a grandmother."

"Hopefully, you will be."

Around 6:00 p.m. I thought I had probably worn out my welcome and so I suggested to Greg that I go. "Do you have to?" He asked.

"I think your Mom might like to have some time alone with you to talk about 'things.'"

"When are you coming back to Princeton?"

"In a few weeks. Let me get a few things settled here."

I said goodbye to the Blythe and then Greg walked me to my car. We stood by my car for a few minutes just holding onto each other and talking about his Mom and childhood. Greg thought it had gone well and he seemed to think his mother liked me. After a long farewell kiss and another hug, he whispered in my ear, "I love you."

"I love you too. I'll see you soon. Bye honey." I waved as I drove off.

A few days later, after Greg was back in Princeton I called Blythe.

"Hello?"

"Blythe, this is Morrigan."

"Morrigan, how are you?"

"Very well, thank you. I was going to choose a site for the wedding and reception and thought maybe you would like to drive over to a couple of places?"

"Oh that would be great. When would you like to go?"

"I set up a few appointments tomorrow starting at 10:30 a.m. I could pick you up at 10:00 a.m?"

"Great, I'll be ready tomorrow at 10!."

We exchanged a few pleasantries and then hung up.

The next day I drove to Carlsbad and retrieved my future mother in law and took her to the Lodge at Torrey Pines. It is a gorgeous location overlooking Torrey Pines golf course and the Pacific Ocean. A fireplace graces the inside and the location seemed formal yet cozy despite being able to hold 150 guests. We picked up brochures, obtained available dates in December and left. From there we went to ZLAC Rowing Club on Mission Bay. It had a great view of Mission Bay and the moored sailboats and yachts. It wasn't quite as pricey as Torrey Pines and it wasn't as formal. We went to lunch downtown in Little Itay at Indigo Grill where my favorite chef, Deborah Scott cooks. I think Blythe thought the menu was a little on the exotic side but she seemed to really enjoy her meal.

"Was Greg a difficult baby?"

She burst out laughing. "Greg was just difficult, period. He was fussy as a baby active as a toddler, ornery as a child, crazy as a teen. He always wanted to be the center of attention. Greg was always on the move, we couldn't get him to sit still. He probably would have been diagnosed with ADHD today. He could concentrate deeply when it was something that interested him. But if he wasn't that interested then he had to be exploring, moving, watching or doing something. I have to admit, between being a Marine wife and Greg's mom I decided not to have any more children. John was disappointed, but even he could see my emotions were stretched."

I was surprised at how candid she was with me. "Why was he at odds with his Dad?"

"I'll let Greg tell you except that I'll just say that my husband expected, as a Marine, total discipline. I don't know if you have discovered this, but Greg is incredibly stubborn and will do whatever he wants to do." She smiled, knowing full well I knew what her son was like. "He always believes he is right. John didn't appreciate his individuality."

"That's a shame."

"They were both stubborn. My husband refused to give Greg what he wanted, the acknowledgment that he was proud of his son and loves him unconditionally."

"Has Greg always been so caustic?"

"I have report cards from grammar school which consistently state,"Greg is a bright student but tends to alienate his peers."

I started laughing. "I'm sorry, but it sounds so, so Gregish."

She paused for a few seconds and then spoke, "You don't have to answer this, but I'm curious... why do you love him? He's not exactly the easiest man to love and I'm his mother."

"I think I like all the things that most people don't. I like his bluntness because I always know where I stand, even if it isn't comfortable. I like his wit and his humor-- usually. There are occasions when I'd like to slap him upside his head. His intelligence and his abilities to do what most people can't do is very appealing. I'm in awe of him when he puts that brain to work. When we are alone he's very kind and gentle with me. We had a lot of problems over the sperm donation, but he stayed true to himself. I always knew he did not want me to have the sperm; he was blunt and truthful about that. Most people aren't aware that he has a sweet disposition, at least he does when he's alone with me. Most people wouldn't believe it was the same person."

"Well, it sounds like you know him. He's always been good and kind to me too. Oh, there were moments when he was a teenager, but for the most part, he's a loving son. I love him and hope, _I really hope_, that you are the one for him. He's been hurt so badly before."

"You mean Stacy and Cuddy? I don't know what happened but I hope I don't make the same mistakes. He seemed to really love both of them."

"I think he always blamed Stacy and Cuddy for his leg. They probably saved his life, but she didn't let him do it his way and Greg always thinks he knows best, just like his father."

We continued down the Hotel Del Coronado on Coronado Island, affectionately known as _the Del_. I Coronado is not really an island, but the tip of a peninsula. The locals just liked call it an island. The Hotel Del is a landmark in San Diego, a Victorian monument with an incredible view of the ocean and a cavernous banquet room, the Crown Room. It has a high wooden arched ceiling and windows over thirty feet high. Presidents have held State Dinners in the Crown Room at the Del. Marilyn Monroe filmed,_ "Some Like It Hot_" at the Hotel Del. Wallace Simpson met Prince Edward at the Del. Thomas Edison installed the first electrical lights on the west coast at the Del (and they're still there today.)

I looked at several rooms but kept coming back to the Crown Room. Because I am friends with the owner of the Del, I was going to receive a 33% discount on all services, including the Crown Room. It worked out that per person it would cost about $100 for the room, the wedding and the food. I asked Blythe to give me an idea of how many people would come on the House side. She thought it through by running down a list in her head. I added an additional eight from Princeton. It brought the total of those who would actually attend the wedding on Greg's side to approximately 62. There were a lot of friends and family, mostly military, that would not be able to come because of the distance to travel. I had done my analysis the night before and had whittled down my own list to approximately 120. We were looking at about $29,000 for the rental of the Crown Room and food for 182 190 people. I booked the Crown Room for Saturday, December 15th and left extremely excited. Now I just had to arrange the music, the flowers, the dress, the invitations, the gifts, the rehearsal dinner...my head was spinning.

"I never dreamt that Greg would get married at the Del, it's such a beautiful place. It's like a fairytale." Blythe said.

"I've always loved the Del too. I've attended many functions there, but never thought I'd get married in the Crown Room."

I took Blythe home and then made my way to Bonita. I knew a great local band and wanted them to play at the wedding so I called the number on their website but unfortunately, they were already booked for a Christmas party. They suggested another band and I phoned them. They were available so I asked them to pencil it in and if I liked them I would give them a deposit. We set up an audition for that coming Thursday.

When I heard the band I was very pleased. They were actually better than the band I wanted to book, plus they had more of a repertoire. I was really starting to get excited about it all. I needed a dress and I needed my matron of honor to come with me. I called Dianne and she begged me not to make her wear one of those horrible taffeta dresses with puffy sleeves.

"Are you sure you want to marry a guy that you sued?"

"I sued him for his sperm...that's how much I want him."

"He better be worth all of this fuss. Especially since he's taking you away to Princeton. Is he good in bed?"

"Absolutely the best. Very thoughtful. Always makes sure I'm satisfied."

"Oooh...those are the best."

I looked for a dress but just didn't see something I liked. We did find a dress for Debbie, one that made her look like a super-model. It was a red satin number with black lace netting over the skirt. It was something you would be proud to wear at a cocktail party. The fact that she could wear it to other events was a real plus.

My floral skills are limited. I'm not able to visualize what an arrangement should look like, but Dianne had a connection which a florist who could help me with the floral ecorations. When I met with the florist, I was overwhelmed with the choices. I finally chose cala lillies for my bouquet and the boutonniere. I gave her a budget and told her to pick the rest.

Marta, an old friend of mine, is an interior decorator and she wanted to do the decorations. I gave her a budget and a check to get started. She said that she'd run the decorations by me before purchasing.

The plans were well on their way to being finalized. I wanted to see Greg. I wanted him to hold me, joke with me and just be with me. I made a reservation to fly into Trenton on Friday afternoon.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Getting off the plane, I walked out to the baggage carousel and looked for Greg, but I didn't see him. I was worried that maybe had had a patient, but then I turned and there he was, slouched down giving me that sweet sexy smile of his. I walked over to him and he looked up, spreading his legs for me to walk closer. When I did, he reached up and grabbed my butt.

"Ah, I'm glad you're here."

"Greg! Everyone can see you!"

He stood up, his body rubbing against mine as he did.

"It sure is good to see you." I said.

"Let's get your luggage." He put his arm around me and then I grabbed my hand. We picked up my luggage, which was rather substantial. I had decided that I should take advantage of the flights and bring as much out each time that I could.

When we got to his apartment I asked, "Have you thought about getting larger accommodations?"

"My realtor says she can list it whenever we want. What do you want to do? Buy a house, get a bigger apartment?"

"I think we need to buy. If you're going to be working here, then it is time to buy a house. Perhaps I can start looking."

"Fine."

"Does anyone know that you're engaged?"

"Hasn't come up in any conversations."

"I see. When were you going to tell them?"

"I really hadn't thought about it. Is this one of those, 'we need to talk issues?'" He asked with a look of disappointment.

"Oh, I say let's get naked and jump each other and then we can talk."

He shook his head like he hadn't heard correctly and said, "Sex before talk? Wow, you are the perfect woman." As he was saying this he was already getting undressed. Following him into the bedroom, we had hot and heavy sex, got up, showered and then I discovered he had no food so I made him take me out for dinner. On the way home we stopped at a grocery store and I picked up groceries.

I was tired so I went to bed and fell asleep within a few minutes. When I woke up I was backed up to Greg's side, a thin stretch of our bodies touching. He was snoring, but not as bad as usual. In San Diego I had asked him why he snored since he didn't have an ounce of fat on his body. His response was that he had broken his nose a couple of times in fights and ever since he snored on occasion.

"On occasion? Try 80% of the time." I told him.

Over the next week, I looked through the Princeton Stationary Shops for announcements. My parents were both dead so I had asked my Dad's best friend, Walter Sturgeon to give me away. I was closer to him than to my aunts and uncles. I found several announcements I liked so I thought I should get Greg to go with me to the stationers to look at them and make a choice.

I went to Greg's office and found him talking to Foreman and Chase so I waited until they were done before I went in. Chase passed by, "Morrigan, good to see you. What are you doing in Princeton? Wait, aren't you suing House?"

"That's been settled, we've resolved our differences."

"I'm glad to hear that. I have to get to the lab, I'll talk to you later."

I nodded my understanding and turned towards Greg's desk where he was apparently using the internet. "Honey, I need help picking out our announcement and wanted to show you the finalists."

He grimaced and said, "Not a good time. Patient dying. You pick it out, I could care less."

I turned around, a little hurt that our wedding had been dismissed so easily, but what did I expect from him?

I heard Greg call out to me. "Morrigan. Why are you leaving?"

"You have people to save. I'm in the way."

"Come back." He waved at me to come back in to his office.

I went back in and asked, "What did you want?"

"Stick around, we're waiting for lab results." he got up and came over to me.

"Why am I waiting for Lab results?"

"You moron, you're not waiting for lab results, you're keeping me company." He leaned up against his desk and pulled me between his legs and hugged me. He kissed my neck and then my lips. Cuddy walked in and did a double take.

"Isn't she suing you for your semen?"

"Oh, no, now I donate every chance I can. Cuddy, I need two weeks off in December. December 8th through December 26th."

"Why?"

"For that sex change operation. Because, as part of our settlement, I have to marry Morrigan and we've chosen December 15th."

Cuddy was dumbfounded.

"Cuddy, are you ok?" I asked.

"You two are getting married?" She still looked stunned.

"She refuses to sleep with me unless I do." Greg said.

"I just never imagined you as married...to anyone. Does Wilson know?"

"Not yet. Does that mean I get the time off?"

"I guess, do you have time coming?"

"Yes."

"Morrigan, are you sure about this? You are talking about Greg House."

"I know I'm nuts, but I love him."

"We should go out and celebrate. How about drinks this Friday? I'll invite Wilson and the team and you can break the news then."

We agreed and when Friday came we were to all meet at the Triumph Brewing Company. I had a Mojito while I waited for everyone to show up. A few minutes later Wilson showed up, looked around and, after seeing me, came over and gave me a peck on the cheek. "I was glad to hear that you two had settled your differences."

"We have definitely settled our differences. How have you been James?"

"Very well. Can I get you a fresh...whatever?"

"No, I'm good."

Wilson went up to the bar to puchase his drink when Chase, Hadley and Foreman all walked in. Wilson asked them for their drink order and put it in with the bartender. Cuddy was next, but there was no sign of House.

"Where's Greg?" I asked the team.

"He left several hours ago. I couldn't help but notice your ring Morrigan, are you engaged?" Hadley asked.

Cuddy interjected, "Oh, here's House."

Greg walked in and grabbed me up into his arms and kissed me. "Hello, everyone."

Cuddy then smiled at everyone and said, "House and Morrigan are engaged."

Wilson smiled broadly; Chase and Foreman were stunned and Hadley looked somewhat amused.

Wilson laughed. "Congratulations, I'm happy for you two. When is the wedding?"

"December 15th in San Diego, you are all invited." I said.

"Congratulations." Chase shook House's hand and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Foreman did the same. Hadley gave House a kiss on the cheek and shook my hand.

"I can't imagine living with House, but if anyone could do it, I think you can Morrigan."

Chase said as he raised his glass to us.

"Thanks Chase, that's touching." I laughed.

"Wilson, I need someone to hold the ring who's not likely to drop it, that rules out Chase." House looked over at Wilson.

"I'm great at weddings; it's marriages I suck at. I'd be happy to hold the ring."

Turning back to me he looked serious. "I was late because I had to get my darling fiancé an engagement present. Here my sweet." House handed me an envelope with a very silly look on his face.

I opened it. It was from a local sperm bank and it showed a deposit of two vials of semen. I started laughing as I grabbed and kissed him.

"What is it? A vacation reservation?" Hadley asked.

"Deed to a House?" Foreman guessed.

I handed Hadley the sheet, "Semen? Ewww. He gave you semen for your wedding gift?"

Wilson started laughing heartily and we joined in with him.

We spent several hours celebrating. When we arrived home, I was beat so I went straight to bed. Greg stayed up and watched a little television.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

In the morning I showed Greg a copy of the announcement I chose. It was in script with a steel blue satin ribbon tied around one corner. It simply said, "Morrigan Rebecca Palmer and Gregory House, M.D. request the honor of your presence at their wedding ceremony, Saturday, December 15th at 4:00 p.m., Crown Room, Hotel Del Coronado, Coronado, California."

"We're having our wedding at the Del, in the Crown Room?" House asked.

"Greg, I told you that on the phone."

He looked sheepishly at me, conveying the fact that he flaked out when we were on the phone. "So I guess this is going to cost us a fortune?"

"Yep, it's going to cost _me_ a fortune."

"You?"

"Well, the woman's family usually pays for most of the wedding. You get to pay for flowers and the rehearsal dinner."

"I haven't seen you actually work, can you afford this?"

"I'm actually retired."

"How old are you? Ready for SSI? How can you afford to retire?"

"Planning and good cases."

"Are we rich?" he asked.

"Is that the royal we? We are comfortable. Now, what about you? Do you have something you want to tell me?"

"I jerked off in the shower this morning?"

"I meant anything I should know about you?"

"Oh, that wasn't what you meant?" He joked.

"Your history? Your breakdown?"

"Yeah...I was meaning to tell you, but I thought you already knew-you did have a file on me when we met."

"Ok, well?"

"I had an addiction to Vicodin, started hallucinating. I had to go through rehab and spend a few months in Mayfield. I see my shrink on an outpatient basis."

"Gee, I'm glad we're having this conversation."

He was touchy about it, "Look, it's not something I'm proud of ...it almost cost me my job, my friendship with Wilson and my savings."

"You have savings?"

He gave me that scrunched up look, "MMMmmm, some."

We kissed each other and then he approved the invitation. We went house hunting but had no success. Greg had very specific requirements. He wanted a ranch or at least the master bedroom on the first floor, a room he could use for his music and a gourmet kitchen so that I could cook for him (but Wilson told me on the sly that he was a gourmet cook, one of the best he'd ever known.) I looked for a wedding dress, but couldn't find one. I called up Dianne and told her we were flying to New York for the weekend to look for a dress. She was more than up for it.

I went to Vera Wang's boutique on Madison Avenue and looked through her collections including last year's. I found one, it was a strapless ivory V neck full A line gown with draped dropped waist bodice and back textured flower detail. It was gorgeous and I looked great in it. I bought it for a mere $8,900 and had it sent to Neiman Marcus in San Diego where they would alter it for me closer to the wedding.

Everything was in place and by the end of November Greg and I had found a house to buy. It was a ranch with large picture windows, skylights and a big back yard. It had three bedrooms, an office, a large great room where he could play his music, a gourmet kitchen and 3 1/2 baths.

I was flying back and forth between San Diego and Princeton, trying to pack my furniture and things for shipping back to Princeton as well as planning our wedding. In late November, Greg and I flew back to San Diego for Thanksgiving. I cooked a turkey and we bought a Honeybaked ham to go with it. I always invite several friends and their families over as well as adopt a couple of sailors from the local Naval bases. Civilians in San Diego can call up the USO and they have a list of sailors who can't get home for Thanksgiving. I sent Michael down to pick the sailors up at 32nd street Naval Base. Thanksgiving went well. Greg, the sailors, Michael and a few of my friends' husbands gathered around the television and watched some bowl games. Greg got a little bored so he came into the kitchen, grabbed a beer and started molesting me, kissing my neck, grabbing my butt, trying to hug me. My friends were cracking up. Blythe told Greg to stop.

I turned around with the carving knife and waved it at him. "Since you can't keep yourself away from breasts, here carve the turkey."

After a few looks of defeat, he grabbed the fork and knife and started carving. The meal was delicious, the company great and everyone pitched in to do the dishes, including the sailors. By 6:00 p.m. everyone had left and I was exhausted. I was asleep by 9:00 p.m.

The next morning I began to have cramps, very painful cramps. I started bleeding.

"Greg, I'm bleeding."

"How bad is it?"

"Not too bad but the cramps are horrible."

"We should get you in to see your doctor. You might be having a miscarriage."

"Miscarriage? You think I'm pregnant?"

"When was your last period?"

"About three weeks ago."

"It's most likely either implantation bleeding or a miscarriage." He said. "Lie down and raise your feet. I'm going out to the drugstore to get a pregnancy test."

I did as he told and waited until he returned bringing back the test in a plastic told me that I had to wait until the next day to take the test in the morning when the hormones would be more concentrated. In the meantime, he brought me a heating pad and a glass of water. Propping himself up on the pillows, he turned on the television and started flipping through stations while I put my head on his chest. Together we watched television for the rest of the day.

The next morning I woke up, took a deep breath and went in to pee on a stick. The cramps and bleeding had stopped, but I was worried. House picked up the stick, read it and grabbed me, scaring me.

"We should get you to your doctors, you're pregnant. We should make sure that you're not aborting. I suspect it is implantation bleeding."

"Wait, I'm pregnant?" I started smiling.

"Yep baby. If we can get through the next 37 weeks, you'll be a mom."

"My God, after all our fighting we did this the natural way?"

"You know it works sometimes. Coitus, sperm, egg, fertilization. We don't always need the turkey baster."

"Do I need to go in today or should I wait until Monday?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

Monday I went to see my doctor who ran the lab tests and confirmed the pregnancy and also confirmed that my cervix was closed and that I was not aborting. He agreed with Greg's assessment that it was implantation bleeding. He told us that my due date was August 11th.

I was concerned about Greg. Did he really want to be a father and how was he taking it? That evening I called Greg who had flown back to Princeton. We talked about the doctor's findings and the due date. Finally I asked, "Greg, are you ok with all of this? It's a lot to take in for now, pregnancy, marriage, parenthood."

"Yeah, can I have do-overs? I'd like to give you the semen and run."

"Come on, I'm serious about this. How are you taking this?"

"I'm not a child. If I had second thoughts about all of this I wouldn't be here today or I would have used a condom. I'm fine, I'm more than fine; I'm very pleased that my little men can do the job."

"I am very excited. I'm going to be a mother, the mother of _your child_. I guess we should keep it quiet. At my age the chances of miscarriage are one in three aren't they?"

"I'm afraid so...we'll wait until the second trimester before we tell everyone."

"Ok, that's fine." I said, although I was disappointed. I wanted to woop it up, tell all my friends, scream it from the treetops. But, we weren't out of the woods yet.

Greg flew back out on December 8th, rather tired from the flight. Blythe came down to my house for dinner and last minute preparations. I was under a lot of stress and in some ways I just wanted it to be over. But Greg was calm and gave me a massage almost every night, loosening my muscles. Of course nine out of ten times we ended up having sex, something Greg seemed to enjoy enormously. I felt like he was making up for lost time.

On Wednesday Wilson and Cuddy flew in for the wedding. They were both staying with us at my somewhat bare house in Bonita. It was great having them around because they made me laugh with all their tales about Greg. I felt as if I had inherited a whole new set of friends.

The boys went down to get their Tuxedos and then the four of us drove out to Coronado to see the set up. When we drove up to the hotel Cuddy and Wilson were in awe of the place. The hotel was gorgeous, all lit up for Christmas. Inside the reception area was a large Christmas tree, decorated with gorgeous antique decorations. The Crown Room was spectacular with its own massive Christmas tree that reached up, but despite its incredible height, it didn't come close to the beautiful paneled ceiling which is over twenty feet high. The wall coverings are an incredible pastiche from Europe, giving the room a feeling of grandeur from a bygone era.

"This is spectacular. Simply gorgeous." Cuddy was shaking her head in awe.

"We're going to have the ceremony outside on the lawn with heaters running and then the reception will be in here. The food is going to be against that wall, the dance floor will be here, the band there and the bars back there."

"How many people RSVP'd?" She asked.

"Well, the House side didn't think that some of their friends and family would make it but apparently the idea of Greg getting married has sparked some interest in them and their count went up by 38. I discovered I have more friends and family than I thought because I just kept adding more and more people. We now have 247 people who have indicated that they are coming."

"This is going to be fun."

"God I hope so."

Wilson butted in, "While we're here, why don't we grab a drink in the bar?"

"I could use one." House headed in the direction of the bar and the rest of us followed.

I volunteered to be the designated driver and so I didn't have any alcohol, the real reason of course was my pregnancy.

"Well House, come Saturday you will have to stop chasing young women who develop crushes on you." Wilson raised his glass and pointed his finger.

"What young women?" I asked.

"House never told you about his seventeen year old stalker?" Cuddy asked looking at House who glared at Cuddy and Wilson in an effort to keep them quiet. "Your stares aren't going to work House. He had a young seventeen year old girl come in with her father. She became infatuated with House, even came back for an exam and showed him her breasts. Of course House did nothing to dissuade her until she started showing up on his motorcycle and in other parts of the hospital. He finally talked to her and discovered the entire infatuation was a result of spores in her brain."

"Oh...poor Greg!" I patted his knee. "This nubile young thing throws herself at you because she's sick in the head? Maybe that's why I'm in love with you. Is it possible I have the same spores?"

"No, I'm afraid dear, you're just psychologically damaged and in need of a strong male figure that can control you."

"And that would be you, oh master?"

"I'm sure I can fill that bill." He grinned devilishly at me, "Come here and sit on my knee so that I can discipline you." He patted his knee.

"The only paddling that's going to be given is you over my knee if you don't behave."

We went home and spent the rest of the evening talking about different weddings we had been to and which ones had been successful and which had been a disaster. We went to bed and Greg watched me as I undressed. I started to put on my pajamas.

"Don't bother. Just get over here so I can have my way with you."

I obeyed and we both had to muffle our enthusiasm so that our guests didn't hear. We started giggling when we had finished and I finally fell asleep in his arms.

The rehearsal dinner was a crack up. When the waiter came and asked me which of the entrees I wanted, House reponded, "Just bring her a head of lettuce."

I looked sideways at House and the waiter asked, "Is that all she wants sir?"

"No, but I'd running an experiment, I want to see if she eats like a rabbit too."

There was a lot of laughter and even more when it took someone having to explain the joke to the waiter. I looked over at Blythe to make sure we hadn't offended her, but she was laughing too.

Someone asked Wilson if he was enjoying being the best man. He answered very loudly, "The problem with being the best man is that you never get to prove it."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

The next day we got up and he threatened not to get up unless I gave him a kiss. I was pretty sure a kiss was going to lead to something else but he was very sweet, he just gave me a long kiss and a pat on the butt and then got up.

I had to leave fairly early to get my hair and makeup done. Dianne and I went together. Cuddy stayed back at my house with House and Wilson. "I'll keep an eye on them and the whiskey bottle."

As I was leaving, a car with Hadley, Foreman and Chase pulled up at the curb. I rolled down my window and asked, "Hi! How are the accommodations?" All of the out of town guests had the option of staying at the Del (at a discounted price) or staying at the Marriott on Coronado. The team was staying at the Del.

"The hotel is incredible, absolutely beautiful. How are you holding up?" Hadley asked.

"Great, I'm off to get my hair and makeup done. Lisa, James and Greg are inside, just go on in. I'll be back around noon." We all waved at each other and I took off.

The hairdresser styled my shoulder length hair into a chignon with some wispy curls that came down in the back. The makeup was subtle, a brown eye shadow and liner, coral lipstick, perfectly shaped eyebrows (painfully shaped I might add) and makeup which smoothed out my facial coloring.

I arrived home and everyone to a chorus of oohs and ahhs except from Greg. "Don't you like it?"

"I'm waiting for the final package. Giving you too many accolades will just cheapen them this evening."

"You're crazy." I kissed him, "I love you."

"I love you too."

We all sat down and had pizza which they had ordered before I got home. The pizza was chased with a couple of beers and margaritas. Obviously, I stayed sober. After lunch I grabbed my gown, my underwear, my accessories and left with Dianne for the hotel. We checked into our room and started to prepare. The photographer showed up and caught us in our underwear. We put on robes and let him in. The first photo was of us in our robes, our heads leaning on each other. Blythe came up to help. She looked very pretty in her "Mother of the Bride" style dresses. Despite being conservative, it was very sophisticated and made her look much younger.

"You look gorgeous." I told her. She smiled in return.

The florist stopped by with my bouquet which was very pretty. Lots of white calla lilies with a steel blue satin ribbon like the one on our announcements. The bouquet was simple, but beautiful.

I was very nervous when Blythe and Dianned pulled the cover off of my gown and I realized it was time to step into it. After some assistance, the gown was fastened and smoothed in place. I only had a little caplet with a small veil over my face. Blythe pulled me aside and said, "You need something borrowed so I brought this bracelet for you. It's all diamonds. It was given to me by John on our thirtieth wedding anniversary."

The bracelet was absolutely breathtaking and must have cost a small fortune. "It's lovely, I'll be very careful with it. Thank you Blythe." I reached over and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm sorry that your mother isn't here to tell you how beautiful you look. You make a beautiful bride. I'm very happy Greg chose you, you've been good for him."

I have to admit I was a little choked up at the thought of my Mom not being at the wedding, but I was really grateful for her kind words.

It was 3:30 p.m. and everyone but Dianne and I went downstairs to take their places. We stayed back for a few minutes to have photos taken and to do some last minute preparations. Greg and James were in black Armani dress tuxedos with matching trousers, wing collar shirt and white vest and tie. Greg had wanted the top hat and cane but we talked him out of the top hat. Everyone had taken their places and Walter, my parent's old friend, was waiting patiently at the door when I came down the elevator. Walter is about my height, 5'4" and very sweet. He gave me a kiss and told me that my parents would be proud. We then walked over to the doors that led to the garden. The lawn was lined by white folding chairs with white linen chair covers, each with a friend or family member in it. It was a nice afternoon. Being on the ocean it was cool, but not cold. The heaters helped to keep everyone comfortable. The quartet started to play Pachelbel, our cue to start the procession. I could just see James from my perch, but not Greg, he was blocked by the gazebo. Dianne walked up the aisle, her tall figure looking graceful as the skirt whipped around her legs. She took her place. The wedding march started and we exited the building to the garden. I heard a lot of "ahhs" and smiled as everyone stood up. Turning down the main aisle I finally saw him. Greg looked gorgeous, his grey tipped hair and closely cut beard made him look so debonair . His blue eyes were positively shining and the cut of the tux made him a striking figure. He was more than handsome, he was beautiful.

I walked up to within six feet of him, Walter announced that he and his wife were giving away the bride as Greg extended his left arm to bring me up to the bower. He continued to hold my shaking hand, squeezing it to let me know everything was fine. The ceremony started and I have to admit that, to this day, when I watch the DVD I still don't remember the ceremony until we both said our vows and then offered each other some words of love. When the time came for me to speak, my voice quivered. Greg smiled kindly at me as we continued to hold each other's hands. I looked into those beautiful blue eyes and began.

"Greg, since I first read of her relationship with her husband, I've always envied the love that Elizabeth Barrett Browning shared with Robert Browning and described in the following poem:

_How do I love thee? Let me count the ways._

_I love thee to the depth and breadth and height_

_My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight_

_For the ends of being and ideal grace._

_I love thee to the level of every day's_

_Most quiet need, by sun and candle light._

_I love thee freely, as men strive for right._

_I love thee purely, as they turn from praise._

_I love thee with the passion put to use_

_In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith._

_I love thee with a love I seemed to lose_

_With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,_

_Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,_

_I shall but love thee better after death._

I had quoted it from memory, a tear flowing down my cheek as my heart welled up with happiness.

It was Greg's turn, "Morrigan, I chose Bob Dylan to express my feelings about you."

_I've said goodbye to haunted rooms and faces in the street,_

_I love you more than ever and I haven't yet begun._

_When I was deep in poverty you taught me how to give,_

_Quenched my thirst and satisfied the burning in my soul._

_Eye for eye and tooth for tooth, your love cuts like a knife,_

_The tune that is yours and mine to play upon this earth,_

_What's lost is lost, we can't regain what went down in the flood,_

_But happiness to me is you and I love you more than blood_.

I had asked one of my favorite judges to preside over my wedding and he had done a great job. When he announced that we were man and wife, he said, "Now you can give her that kiss."

Greg reached over and kissed me deeply with just a little tongue. When we stopped kissing, he pulled me to him and said, "I've never seen you look more beautiful than tonight except for the first time we made love, oh and the look of on your face when you found out you were pregnant."

I smiled and kissed him briefly in appreciation. We turned and the audience clapped. The photographer seemed to take a photo of us in every position and permutation possible before we moved into the Crown Room for more. I was grateful because it was starting to get nippy outside. The decorations in the Crown Room were spectacular. The entire room was dripping in small little lights like floating stars. Each table had a centerpiece of roses, orchids and a crystal bowl of floating candles. There were candles everywhere. I felt like I was living a fairytale; it was breathtaking.

We formed a receiving line which seemed to go on forever, but Greg was having fun reaching behind and grabbing my butt when he got bored. Everyone remarked about how beautiful I was (doesn't every bride hear that?) and how beautiful the Crown Room was. Wilson and Dianne were having fun in the receiving line teasing each other. Hadley was the first of the team to come through.

"Congratulations, I hope you will be happy together." Hadley kissed him on the mouth lightly. Any deeper and I would have had to take her down. But then she turned to me, shook my hand and kissed me on my cheek. Chase gave me a huge kiss on my lips just to piss House off. Foreman gave me a kiss on my cheek.

By the time we sat down for the meal, our choices being either Filet Mignon, Salmon or Vegetarian, my feet were swelling and I was starving. The food was delicious and judging from the silence as we all ate, I think everyone was enjoying it.

When asked to give the Best Man's Toast, Wilson stood up and chuckled to himself. "Being Greg House's best friend is a job. It requires long hours, hard work and little payback, but for some reason, I'm still here. I tried to figure out why Morrigan and I are both still here and I realized that we both know that Greg will not sugar coat the truth and that his bluntness can be both a blessing and a sword. But no matter what, we always know where Greg stands. And even though he has his prickly side, he has, underneath, an even more prickly side." Laughter. "Actually, underneath, Greg cares and he can do phenomenal things when he lets that side come out. He saves lives, he helps friends, he saves marriages and he finds love. I'm glad that he found Morrigan because she brings out the good side in him. So for everyone's sake, I hope they are happy and I hope that Greg realizes what a catch he has in Morrigan and treats her well. Morrigan, since you're Irish I thought I might end with an Irish blessing: May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and the road downhill all the way to your door. Ladies and Gentlemen, to Greg House and Morrigan Palmer."

Everyone raised their glasses and toasted us. I let myself have a little champagne with the toast. There was a tradition with my group of friends, we drink champagne out of the bride's shoes. Ok, I know it sounds disgusting, but the alcohol kills anything that could have killed us. So when my friends got up in front of the crowd and tried to get me to drink what would have been a full glass of champagne out of my slippers, I balked. They looked at me funny.

Dianne said, "Morrigan, you're usually the first to start this...what's going on here?"

The whole crowd was watching.

"I just don't want to drink anymore tonight. I want to keep my wits about me."

"Oh, you're not going to get away with that!" Dianne admonished, taking the slipper she held it to my lips trying to get me to drink.

I pushed it away. "I can't."

"Oh my God, you're pregnant, aren't you?" Dianne yelled out.

Everyone looked at me. I looked at Greg.

"Hey, you're the one who chased me half way across the universe trying to get my man-juices." Greg reached out and pulled me over to his side and said, "We weren't going to say anything so soon because it's so early, but if everything goes right, Morrigan and I will be parents in August."

There was a lot of clapping and whooping from our friends and family. Our wedding was talked about for months. It was the perfect blend of great food, dancing and funny anecdotes. We even walked in on a couple making love in the women's restroom.

**Dear Readers, Are you still there? LOL I hope you are enjoying this. It's almost over, just one more chapter! Please review if you can! Thanks.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

My pregnancy was unremarkable except for the fact that Greg treated it as a running opportunity to make derogatory remarks about how fat I was getting. I had to admit, my thighs became tree trunks and my butt was huge. Still, it didn't stop him from taking me from behind whenever he got the urge. I don't think I'd ever been so happy as I was when I was pregnant and newly married to Greg. We laughed more that first year of our marriage than I laughed my whole life.

Greg and I had a healthy baby boy on August 3rd and named him Andrew James House. Greg was fascinated by his son and much to the surprise of all of us, doted on him. They became inseparable whenever Greg was home. Andy marched around the house with a stethoscope and a white coat his father bought him at a toy store. When he was four, House taught him how to listen to a heart with a real stethoscope and how to conduct a cursory examination. I must admit, I've received more cursory examinations from my son over the last ten years than I can count.

I did some volunteer work for the legal aid society, but mostly I looked after Andy. About the time I was going to ask Greg to get me pregnant again, he had become distant. We started fighting over stupid things and we fought a lot. Frankly, the ferocity and frequency scared me. I didn't know why Greg was picking fights with me. After awhile, it was affecting Andy who cried whenever we raised our voices and clung onto his father whenever Greg would get angry and start to storm out. I could see that Andy's outbursts pained Greg as much as it did me; that Greg was being torn apart inside by something.

Without trying, I got pregnant. The day I took the pregnancy test I was shocked when it said in Capital letters, 'PREGNANT.' I had mixed feelings about it. Things had been so turbulent around our house that I didn't know if another child was a good idea. I waited anxiously for Greg to get off work, having sent Andy on a sleep over with his best friend. When Greg got home, he went straight for the whiskey and poured himself a drink before he even acknowledged me.

"Where's Andy?"

"Spending the night at Parker's. We have the house to ourselves."

"Oh, how cozy." He said sarcastically.

"I have something to tell you."

He held his arms out, his fingers wrapped around the glass with the amber liquid sloshing around. "I'm all ears. What, did Andy smile just right, eat his vegetables, win a new ribbon at school?"

"Is that what you think of me?"

"You haven't had an interesting thought come out of your mouth since Andy was born. You'd think the sun rose in his butt the way you talk about him."

"Greg, he's our son, I thought you'd be interested in his progress."

He rolled his eyes. "I am, but not every nanosecond of his life. In fact, you should get one—a life that is. You used to be interesting."

I threw the pregnancy stick at him and walked into the kitchen crying.

"_Oh, crap! You're pregnant? Another one?" _He yelled, running into the kitchen.

"Gee, Dr. House, I can see how excited you are about having another child. And to think I thought you loved your son!" Our voices were increasing in decibels.

"I love my son. But, I need more from you! I need to come home and have a real conversation-one that doesn't include Andy's progress, Andy's needs, Andy's health. You only have one topic of conversation."

"Greg, what's wrong with you? Why are you trying to hurt me? What have I done that makes you hate me so much?"

"You're boring. And now you're going to get even more boring."

"Why are you refusing to tell me what's going on? Is there someone else?"

"Yeah, Jack Daniels. Maybe he'll make you interesting."

"Screw you! Screw you!"

"Yeah, well that's another thing. You're always so tired, I'm surprised you even got pregnant because I don't remember screwing you."

"After the Casino Night."

"Oh, that's right, I was drunk; that explains it. Sometimes alcohol makes you more attractive."

"You son of a bitch! It's not like I wanted to make love to you either. Living with you for the last three months has been like living with Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. I never know which is going to walk through the door at night."

"Yeah, well at least Jekyl and Hyde are interesting. Living with you is like living with coma guy."

"What?"

"Forget it."

"Greg, we need to see someone, a counselor, try to work on whatever it is that's gone wrong with us."

"It's too late. You're boring. And now, with a second kid, you'll be terminally boring."

"I'll take classes, find something we can both share. What about jazz? I could take a class in jazz."

"Christ, you're a masochist." He yelled.

"_I love you! I'm sorry that annoys you, but I love you. I love our family. Just tell me what I can do to make this better—what I can do to be the person you want me to be?"_

He stopped and looked at me like I had finally gotten through to the old Greg. "I wish I knew." His voice sounded so sad, so confused.

He turned and poured himself another drink.

"I have dinner in the oven. Roast, potatoes, carrots." I said.

He nodded and knocked back another glass of whiskey as I went into the kitchen, crying my heart out, wishing I wasn't in this nightmare. A few minutes he followed me into the kitchen. I was sobbing, trying to serve the dinner through my tears.

"Would you just stop crying!"

I turned around with the roast in my hands. He looked at me and then down at my crotch.

"Oh, no! Jesus! Put the pan down." He rushed over, grabbed the pan and put it on the counter. "You're having a miscarriage."

I looked down and my light blue pants were stained with the dark brown of the baby's blood. He put his arm around me and guided me back to the bathroom.

"Come on, take your pants off, let's check you out." He was gentle with me. Helping wash, he checked me out and asked questions. "I'm sorry, Morrigan, really. But, I'm pretty sure you're miscarrying. There's nothing we can do at this point. Do you have a second pregnancy test?"

"Yes."

"Then take it the day after tomorrow. In the meantime, let's get your legs up. Are you cramping?"

"Yes."

"I'll get you a heating pad and some naprosyn. Would you like me to bring you some dinner too?" He said with real concern in his voice.

I was too emotionally spent. I felt as if I had lost both my child and my husband that night. "I'm not hungry."

He took care of me that night. Until I went to sleep, I felt as if I had the Greg I knew back, but it didn't last. Greg felt like crap, drank for several days straight and apologized on numerous occasions, but he still wouldn't tell me what was eating him up inside. The only clue I had was that one night he came home with perfume on him. I accused him of being with someone, but he ignored me.

A week later I stopped by the hospital to talk to Greg about our upcoming vacation, but he wasn't in his office. I ran into Lisa and she asked if she could buy me coffee down in the cafeteria. Since it was late in the afternoon, it was pretty deserted. I could tell something was bothering her. After some baiting, she finally admitted that Greg's old love, Stacy Warner, had divorced her husband and moved back to Princeton. Apparently, Stacy had experienced a meltdown when her husband asked for a divorce. As a result she'd been under the treatment of a psychiatrist and had even spent a few nights in the psychiatric ward at PPTH.

"Lisa, this is all very sad, but what's it got to do with me?"

"She's been coming to the hospital to see House. When she was in the psychiatric ward, he spent several nights sitting by her bed. Stacy is very fragile and House has been trying to help her get on her feet. I heard her tell him that without him she wouldn't be able to cope."

I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. Greg was seeing Stacy? "Lisa, are they…"

"I don't know. But, he hasn't been himself. He's been testy and argues constantly with his team. I'm tired of it. I wish she'd leave or stop coming down to see him."

I didn't say anything. I just wanted to go home and hug my son, protect him from what I could sense was coming. Normally I'd have Greg paged if I couldn't find him in the office, but I decided to go home. I had parked in the hospital's garage because it was snowing. Coming out of the stairwell, I walked straight into the two of them kissing. And it wasn't the kiss of a friend saying goodbye. I knew now why my husband had been picking fights. He was too much a coward to walk out on his own, he wanted me to make the decision for him and push him out the door.

When Greg pulled back from Stacy he stared straight into my eyes and cursed under his breath. I started running down the parking garage towards my car.

"Morrigan, Morrigan, Morrigan…"

I stopped and turned to him. He stopped too. I shook my head, warning him not to come close to me.

"Honey, please. Please let me explain."

"No. There is no excuse for the way you've treated me over the last few months."

He winced. "I know."

"I want you out."

"Morrigan, please. Let's talk about it."

Stacy stayed back, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes cast down.

"I don't need to talk about it." I walked back up towards him a few feet and yelled over his shoulder at Stacy. "He's all yours Stacy. I guess I never measured up to you. Good luck, I hope you two are happy together. But be careful what you wish for." Turning I started walking as fast as I could to the car. He tried to run after me, but I was too fast for him.

On my way home, I called a locksmith and met the man when I got home. The locks were changed and as the locksmith was leaving, Greg drove up. I slammed the door and locked it. He tried to open it with his key, but it didn't work which made him angry. Andy ran to the door when his father started banging. I ran after Andy.

"Mommy, it's Daddy. He can't get in!"

I pulled him back, "Okay, honey, I have it. Go to your room and play."

_Bam, bam, bam!_

"But Daddy!" He said, obviously worried about the banging and yelling coming from his father.

"Honey, I'll take care of Daddy. You go to your room."

He reluctantly went to his room, his blue eyes downcast, bottom lip pouty. He was a wonderful child, spunky, intelligent, caring and happiest when his Dad played with him. My heart was breaking not just for myself, but for him. I went to the door.

"Stop banging and I'll let you in." I yelled.

The noise stopped and I unlocked the door. He pushed it open, now more angry than contrite.

"What the hell was that? _You changed the locks?"_

I tried to be calm. "I told you I wanted you out."

"We need to talk."

"No. Andy's upset from all your banging and screaming. I need to take care of him. I want you to pack your bags and get out."

"This is my house too, my son." He took a deep breath and looked down. "I'm sorry that you saw that."

"Oh, but not sorry you did it?"

He winced. "Yeah, I'm sorry about everything."

"You've been fighting with me for months, ever since she came back. I lost my child because you've been torn between your family and Stacy and taking it out on me. Today was the final straw. I can't even bear to look at you."

"Morrigan…"

"No, Greg. I can't. I can't do this. Your son cries in his bed at night because we argue and we argue because you don't know what you want. Well, I'm making the decision for you; you can rest easy now because you don't have to make it. Go to Stacy."

Andy ran into the room and straight into his father's arms. Greg picked him up in his arms and hugged him tight. I could see tears in Greg's eyes and it tore my heart in two. I went over to get Andy, but Greg held on.

"Daddy? Are you alright? You're hugging me too tight."

"Andy, I have to go for awhile. But, I'll see you soon."

"Are you going away?" Andy asked, his face full of worry.

"Just for awhile. I'll see you soon, dude."

"Daddy, did I say something? I'll be good. I promise to be good. Don't go."

I felt like a dagger had been thrust in to my heart. A horrible sound escaped from my mouth.

Tears were falling from Greg's face onto Andy's back. I couldn't stop crying. Poor Andy looked at the two of us and knew something was desperately wrong.

"Why are you crying?" Andy asked us.

"It's just that Daddy is going to miss you." I explained.

"It's because I've been bad, right?"

Greg pulled Andy back to look in his eyes."You haven't been bad, do you understand? I just need to go somewhere for awhile. You are a great kid. The best in the world. And you've done nothing wrong."

"Daddy's right. You've been a very good boy and we love you. Mommy and Daddy just need some time apart sweetie and so Daddy is going to go see a friend."

"Who?"

I looked at Greg, but he looked away. "He's going to go see an old friend, Stacy."

"Stacy? Who's he?"

"It's a woman, honey and they've been friends for a long time."

"Can I come, Daddy?"

"No, Andy, she doesn't have room for both of us right now. But I promise that I'll see you soon."

Greg finally packed a bag and left, calling me the next day to see Andy.

"Not yet, he's still trying to get used to the idea that you've gone away. You need to give it a week. I'm having a little party for his fifth birthday, you can come to it."

"I can't wait a week to see him."

"You're going to have to Greg. He needs time to adapt."

"I can't do this." He said, his voice cracking. "Please, let me see him."

"If you love him, just let him get used to you being gone before you come back to see him. You can't treat his emotions like a yo-yo." I knew Greg thought I was doing this to punish him, but I wasn't. Greg needed to understand that Andy was going to hurt each time he left and that he needed time to recuperate before his heart got broken again.

Greg did move in with Stacy, but I didn't find out until a few weeks later. Greg had come to Andy's birthday party and once again, Andy cried himself to sleep, requiring me to ask all the parents to come and retrieve their children from the birthday sleep-over. I hired a sitter a week later to go to a friend's birthday party in a local restaurant. I walked in and all the women looked at me as if they had been talking about me. It took me a few minutes, but I finally realized they were feeling awkward because Greg and Stacy were having a romantic dinner in the restaurant. I discovered them when I had to pass their booth on the way to the bathroom.

He looked up and immediately closed his eyes, shaking his head. I tried to keep going, but he jumped up and grabbed my hand. "Morrigan."

I looked around and back at Stacy, whispering, "Please don't make a scene. Go back and have your dinner."

He nodded. "I'll pick Andy up tomorrow at ten, right?"

"That's what we agreed. Now go back to your dinner." I kept going. By the time I got to the bathroom I had to run into a stall so that I didn't vomit on my shoes. I wanted to go home, back to Bonita, so that I wouldn't run into them again. The next day I filed for divorce.

A week later Greg came over while Andy was in school asking me to give him some time, that he still didn't know what he wanted, that he missed Andy and me. He told me that Stacy was still emotionally a wreck, too fragile to be alone. I told him that he didn't miss me, just Andy and that it was time we cut our losses. The divorce took another nine months and it became rather acrimonious. I offered to pay him alimony if he'd stop the custody suit, but he didn't. In the end I was granted full custody with Greg getting visitation rights.

I moved back to California to raise Andrew. Greg came out to California often, staying with his Mom and visiting Andrew. Andy would go up to Carlsbad while Greg was here and spend time with his grandmother and his Dad, although Andy saw his Grandmother quite often even when Greg wasn't in town. Andrew spent most of his summers with his Dad and Stacy. I was happy to find out that Stacy treated Andy well and was very good to him.

I stayed close to Greg's mom and she was a constant in Andrew's life. Three years after the divorce, when Andy was eight, Blythe moved down to Bonita to be near her grandson. I was asked to do some pro tem work on the bench and so Blythe became my willing babysitter.

When Andy was nine, Greg showed up on my doorstep one night looking haggard and distressed, insisting that he loved me and only me, that he wanted his family back. I had heard rumors from Lisa that Greg had been unhappy ever since the divorce. Apparently, he and Stacy fought all the time, Greg realizing that he had made a horrible mistake and taking it out on Stacy. Stacy had gone to Lisa and asked her for advice, but Lisa had turned her away, telling Stacy that she had destroyed a loving family by playing on Greg's guilt, their history and his misplaced affection for her and that she deserved the pain since Stacy had caused me just as much pain and grief.

Before Andy got home, I told Greg that a part of me hated him for destroying what we had and my trust in him. "But, one thing I know from being an attorney is that humans aren't perfect and they often do things which they wish they could take back or do over. I don't know Greg, I'll have to give this some deep thought. It wasn't easy on Andy, it took him a year before he made any friends here in Bonita. He was very angry at me for taking him away from Princeton and you. But, I know better than most that sometimes we just have to find it in our hearts to forgive even if we can't forget."

Andy showed up after school and was over the moon to see his Dad sitting it the living room. That night I watched as the two of them played in the living room and Greg listened to Andy as he played the saxophone for him (a recent acquisition.) Greg gave him some pointers and in the end they were laughing about something. I could hear them all the way back in the utility room where I was doing a load of wash. When I came out, Andy, a long, tall nine year old, was draped over his Dad's back as his father played the X box, trying to get Andy to level 9 after being stuck at level 8 for a week. They love each other so much that I felt horrible keeping them apart.

"Greg, it's time for Andy to go to bed. He has school in the morning and needs his sleep."

"I'll be back tomorrow night, okay?"

Andy begged for Greg to read him a story which he did and then they said goodnight, Greg going back to his mother's condo.

He showed up on the doorstep the next night with a bouquet of flowers for me, but still looking exhausted and sad. I let him in even though Andy was at his friend's finishing a school project. We talked until seven and then he hung his head, his hands running through his hair.

"I can't be apart from you and Andy. I love you both. I'm unhappy without you."

"Why did you make me feel as if the problem was me?"

"Because you were stronger than Stacy. I knew you'd survive if I chose to go with Stacy, but she wouldn't, at least not then. She's healthier now, stronger. Everyone's doing fine but me, I'm the one who's miserable."

"She's still happy with you?"

"Not exactly. I told her six months ago that I no longer loved her, that I love you and Andy and that I was going to do whatever it took to get you back. We started sleeping in separate rooms. She didn't take it well at first, but after months of arguing and talking and then finally resignation, I moved out. She's okay though, even wished me luck in trying to win you back."

"You know, I have a boyfriend."

He nodded. "My Mom told me. Is it serious?"

"We're exclusive, but there's been no professions of love or talk of moving in together."

"Do you love him?"

"I could."

"Do you love me?"

"Always."

"Will you move back to Princeton?"

"No. Not yet. But Andy is out of school in three weeks. We'll come back and spend the summer with you. We'll see if it works."

"I love you."

I nodded, putting my hand on his cheek. "I know."

**The End**

**Dear Readers, Hope you enjoyed this. Thanks so much for reading and for commenting. Your comments are so encouraging and make my day! Kim Brogna (Gorblimey2)**


End file.
